They can hold their breath for six minutes or more ! The nine-banded armadillo always gives birth to same gender quadruplets from a single egg. The Latin name for the nine-banded armadillo is Dasypus novemcinctus. The word Dasypus is derived from the Latin word for rabbit.
A common query we ran across in our research was “Can armadillos hold their breath?”.
One frequent answer is, armadillos are good swimmers and can hold their breath for 4-6 minutes . 14 They walk underwater across the bottom of streams. When facing larger bodies of water, they gulp air to create buoyancy and then dog paddle. This ability to swim allowed them to expand their range.
How many hours do armadillos sleep?
During the daylight hours, they spend up to 16 hours sleeping, usually in burrows. Armadillos rarely share their burrows with other armadillos, although they do share them with tortoises, snakes, and rats. When awake, armadillos spend more time foraging than most mammals.
What is the anatomy of an armadillo?
Habitat and anatomy. Armadillos have very poor eyesight, and use their keen sense of smell to hunt for food. They use their claws for digging and finding food, as well as for making their homes in burrows. They dig their burrows with their claws, making only a single corridor the width of the animal’s body.
While we were writing we ran into the inquiry “How do armadillos move through water?”.
One article claimed that the nine-banded armadillo is noted for its movement through water which is accomplished via two different methods: it can walk underwater for short distances , holding its breath for as long as six minutes; also, to cross larger bodies of water, it is capable of increasing its buoyancy by swallowing air, inflating its stomach and intestines.
Where do armadillos like to live?
Armadillos enjoy warm, wet environments , which is why they stick mostly to the southern states. Most enjoy forests and grasslands, and because they can hold their breath for six minutes, they have no problem crossing a river or a stream. You can even see one walking along the bottom of a clear stream.
They prefer warm, wet climates and live in forested or grassland habitats . Small streams are no obstacle for these amazing animals. The nine-banded armadillo can hold its breath for up to six minutes and can swim or “walk” along the bottom of rivers.