Despite the fact that armadillos have been around for 60 million years, many members of the general public are unsure of how the animals are born.
Unlike most of the other mammal’s armadillo’s females do not lay their young but instead hold them in their wombs as they develop and bear alive young ones. Female armadillos delay the implantation of the fertilized ovum such that they bear young the next spring even though copulation occurs in early summer. It is surprising in the aspect of reproduction because while nature has fashioned it to be pregnant almost all the year round, the gestation period varies between four to five months depending on the species of armadillos.
Keep on reading to know how armadillos are born, what they are called and how many armadillos are in a litter. We will also learn the truth of whether armadillos do actually ‘mate for life’, how long armadillos are pregnant and how they become pregnant.
How Are Baby Armadillos Born?
Based on the classification of mammals, one of them are called placental mammals which include the armadillo. This means that while their young are growing, mother armadillos transport them in their placenta, or womb.
When the armadillo has had enough time to bear young, she will give birth to live young ONLY.
Apparently, armadillos do not lay the eggs. Today there are only two extant monotreme mammals in the whole world even though they are called egg laying mammals. Of these they are the duck-billed platypus and the echidna which is also referred to as the spiny anteater.
Sea Also: 5 Examples Of Best Animals Like Armadillos(With Photos)
In what ways do armadillos care for their young?
Baby armadillos are almost neglected by their parents; they may not even provide them with food. The male even is much less attentive to young than the female, who is not very attentive at all.
The only thing that female armadillos can do for their young is to feed them with proper meals and ensure that they supporting healthy meal plans. These baby armadillos are born about the size of chickens and total about 100 grams, which is less than a ¼ of a pound when born.
Armadillos have a rigid cover, the carapace or osteoderm, which is famous for the name of this animal. Armadillos are born with only a part developed carapace, though the major part is formed later in this group’s life cycle.
At birth their shell is thin, almost fragile and can be bent using your fingers and thumb.
In processing their carapaces therefore and to ensure that the newborn armadillos develop strong ones, a lot of calcium and phosphorus is needed. This is what their mother provides for them by giving them an abundance of food, primarily insects and her milk.
The baby armadillos are now prepared to forage and locate food for themselves after two months of remarkable growth and development.
What Is A Baby Armadillo Called?
Pups are the term used to describe baby armadillos. Their carapace, or shell, starts to stiffen a few weeks after birth. They feel like leather when they are initially born. After four months of age, the carapace turns brown instead of pink.
Like most of the other mammals in the world armadillo pups depend on their mother for feeding for the first two- four months of their lives. They are considered adult when they are between 12 and 15 months old. The ones that can be domesticated can live to be four years old to about thirty years old.
How Many Babies Do Armadilloes Have
Armadillos on average, produce litters ranging from one to twelve young per female. In what is known as a birthing burrow, they give birth. This burrow has a maximum width of fifteen feet.
In armadillos, twins and other multiple births are extremely common. In particular, the birthing pattern of nine-banded armadillos is highly intriguing.
Four identical kids, or quadruplets, are always born to the nine-banded armadillo, Dasypus novemcinctus.
There is only one egg laid by the female nine-banded armadillo. Four distinct but genetically identical embryos are produced from the fertilized egg. The placenta is shared by all four of these embryos until birth.
The only animal that does this is the nine-banded armadillo, which is truly an abnormality. The litters of other armadillos vary more than others.
How Are Reproductions in Armadillos?
The armadillo is not a gregarious animal. Actually, the breeding season is the only time they frequently get together. Early summer is usually when this season begins, and it can last into the fall.
Adult armadillos establish their own home ranges, which frequently overlap somewhat with those of other armadillos.
In order to locate a female armadillo to mate with, males usually use their keen sense of smell. They often select a female whose home range most closely resembles their own.
There are various ways for male armadillos to communicate their desire to mate with females. The male starts this by making an effort to always be very near to the female.
The female will put up with this if she is interested. She will, however, make every effort to avoid the male armadillo if she is not interested. Kicking him might possibly be part of this!
If another male armadillo approaches after a couple has established, the first male will charge at him. He will occasionally chase the new male away.
However, in certain instances, the two males would start fighting over the female armadillo with their claws.
Additionally, a male will touch the back of the female’s shell with his paws and sniff the female with whom he has paired. In response, females occasionally raise and wag their tails.
The pair frequently forages for food in close proximity to one another while making gentle sounds as they converse.
Another adaptation of female armadillos to their natural habitat is the ability of the female to control the time the young are conceived making sure that they are born during warm spring.
In such a case whereby the female eggs implant in the uterus later than expected, the is referred to as delayed implantation. The delay lasts for three to four months on average.
It’s amazing to learn that nine-banded armadillos can halt an embryo’s development for up to two years.
This is typically only done when there is extreme environmental stress. It is also important to know that the protest embryo can resume development in the event environment improves and stress conditions are alleviated.
How Long Is An Armadido Pregnant?
Every one year, a female armadillos lays one egg in terms that are referred to as ovulation. Normally this is completed at the end of the first or early second week in June.
The armadillo pregnancy, depending on the kind, begins four or five months after getting pregnant and only delayed implantation.
Pregnancy period takes eight or nine months in all. But it is only during the last four or five months, for example, that the armadillo’s young first develop. Normally, the infants are delivered in spring time.
Generally, it is three to four weeks before these young ones come out of their holes. But they are ready to go out in search of food as soon as they come out of the burrow.
While armadillo pups may usually reach sexual maturity when they are still two years of age, they can actually reproduce soon after the summer of their birth.
Do Armadillos Mate For Life?
Despite not being lifelong partners, armadillos are regarded as monogamous. This indicates that during the breeding season, they only mate with one other armadillo.
Besides not serving the basic function of a family, male armadillos do not spend time looking for food for their young either.
Conclusion
Contrary to most reptiles armadillos do not reproduce by laying eggs but the females bear their developing young in a womb and give birth to live young.
While there may be various factors affecting the reproduction of armadillos, its interesting to note that while the armadillo mating is from early summer the females do not implant the eggs but delays this in order to give birth in spring of the following year.
Four to five months are needed during the gestation period, depending on the armadillo’s species.