Armadillo

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FLORIDA SAIJIKI

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Armadillo

***** Location: Florida, USA
***** Season: Topic
***** Category: Animal

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Explanation

Armadillos are New World placental mammals with a leathery armor shell. The Dasypodidae are the only surviving family in the order Cingulata, part of the superorder Xenarthra, along with the anteaters and sloths.
The word armadillo in Spanish means "little armored one".
The Aztec called them azotochtli, Nahuatl for “turtle-rabbit”.

Armadillos species are primarily found in South and Central America, particularly in Paraguay and surrounding areas. Many species are endangered



Gestation lasts anywhere from 60 to 120 days, depending on species, although the nine-banded armadillo also exhibits delayed implantation, so the young are not typically born for eight months after mating. Most members of the genus Dasypus give birth to four monozygotic young (that is, identical quadruplets), but other species may have typical litter sizes that range from one to eight. The young are born with soft, leathery skin, which hardens within a few weeks; they reach sexual maturity in three to 12 months, depending on the species. Armadillos are solitary animals that do not share their burrows with other adults.
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quote
The Nine-banded Armadillo
(Dasypus novemcinctus)

Armadillos were not always present in Florida.
During the past century, they expanded their range from Texas into the Florida panhandle. From 1920 to about 1970, there were several introductions of armadillos into the Atlantic coast region of Florida. Then the panhandle and peninsular populations expanded until they merged. Armadillos are now found in uplands throughout Florida, except in the Keys and parts of the Everglades and Big Cypress swamp.

Reproduction
Although armadillos breed in late July, the 5-month gestation period is delayed which results in the young being born in February or March. Only one litter is produced each year, and it always includes four identical young of the same sex because they develop from a single egg. The young look like the adults except that they are smaller and their armor coat remains soft and leathery for some time, becoming harder with age.
source : edis.ifas.ufl.edu



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Worldwide use

アルマジロ

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Things found on the way



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HAIKU




last day of May
four baby armadillos
burrow in my yard

Laura Sherman, Florida, USA

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speeding cars and trucks
on a cold desert highway;
armadillos cringe

source : veronaway 2


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Related words

WKD : Reference


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