Nine-Banded Armadillo

NOTE: Education Animals are “behind-the-scenes” animals & only appear to the public during Educational events. This includes scheduled events or programs such as daily animal mingles, private onsite programs, and zoo reaches. For more information, please reach out to edureservations@lvzoo.org.

Program and General Information

Nine banded armadillos can be found in Northern Argentina through Southern United States and are the only species of armadillo found in the United States. They can get in length up to 2.5 feet long (from nose to tip of tail) and weigh up to 15 pounds. Males are generally larger than females. Nine-banded armadillos are blackish-brown to grey in coloration with yellowish white hair on its underside.

Armadillos are the only mammals covered by an outer body of armor made up of bony plates. Although named the “nine-banded”, these armadillos can have anywhere from 7-11 bands. Their primary diet consists of 75% insects and the other 25% consists of small reptiles, amphibians, and even plant matter (fruits, seeds, fungi). Breeding occurs once a year in the summer months. Gestation lasts 4 months after which the female will almost always give birth to 4 identical quadruplets. The young will nurse up to 60 days before the mother weans it, however, they young may remain with the mother for several months. They are considered mature at 1 year.

Diet

Nine-banded armadillos are generalist feeders and use their sense of smell to track down almost 500 different foods, most of which are invertebrates. Insects make up 75% of an armadillo’s diet, while the other 25% consists of of small reptiles, amphibians, and even plant matter (fruits, seeds, fungi).

Their sense of smell is their best sense, being able to smell invertebrates that are 8 inches below the surface. They can even stand on their hind legs to get a better vantage point for smelling. The armadillos’ long, curved claws help them to dig up prey, and like most insect eating mammals, their tongues are very long and sticky to slurp up insects quickly. The wiry hairs on an armadillo’s sides and belly, similar to “curb feelers” on a car, can help it sense prey underneath it.

Nine-banded armadillos are nocturnal and spend their waking time burrowing or feeding.

Habitat and Range

The nine-banded armadillo is the most widespread armadillo species, and the only armadillo native to the United States. Their range covers Southern North America through Argentina.
These armadillos prefer warm, wet climates and live in forested, grassland, wetland, and woodland 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.

Common Physical Features

Nine-banded armadillos are a medium sized armadillo reaching lengths of 2.5 feet and weighing up to 15 pounds. Armadillos are the only mammals covered by an outer body of armor. Although called the nine banded, these armadillos can have anywhere from 7-11 bands. They are blackish-brown to grey in coloration with yellowish white hair on its underside. Males tend to be bigger than females. Their limbs are short with four toes on the front feet and five toes on the back feet. All digits have strong claws, however, the middle digits having the longest claws. These claws are very powerful and are used to dig to find insects.

Adaptations: The armadillo’s “armor” or carapace is made out of tough leathery skin and dermal plates (called osteoderms) which are divided into three sections: a scapular shield, a pelvic shield, and a series “bands” around the mid-section.

The dermal plates provide a tough yet flexible covering accounting for 16% of the armadillo’s total body weight. The armadillo’s head is also covered in keratinous scales, the same material that makes up our fingernails and hair, but their ears and underside lack any protective armor.

They have a long and tapered snout used to project their tongues in and out in order to forage for insects. Like most insect eating mammals, their tongues are very long and sticky to slurp up insects quickly. Insects are captured by digging up underground nests and/or tearing the bark off of rotting trees and turning over rotting leaf piles. Armadillos also have wiry hairs on their sides and bellies that act like feelers to help the armadillos sense any prey beneath them.

Unlike the three-banded armadillo that can actually rolls up in a ball for protection, the nine-banded armadillos, along with the other 18 species, must run, dig or press themselves in the dirt to keep from getting flipped over when threatened.

The nine-banded armadillos’ abandoned burrows are utilized by other animals, such as pine snakes, rabbits, opossums, mink, cotton rats, striped skunks, burrowing owls, and eastern indigo snakes.

Behavior and Life Cycle

Armadillos will often be solitary, only getting together in order to breed. Breeding occurs once a year in the summer months, and mature adults will breed every year for the rest of their life. Once breeding is successful, the gestation period lasts about 4 months, after which the female will almost always give birth to 4 identical young.

Right at birth their eyes are open and within a few hours they are up and walking around. At birth, the carapace of the offspring has not yet hardened and the unprotected young are extremely vulnerable to predation.

The young will nurse up to 60 days before the mother weans it, however, they young may remain with the mother for several months. Young armadillos are considered mature at one year. A baby armadillo is called a pup!

Conservation Messaging

Together with Nature
While not currently threated, nine-banded armadillos are are considered to be pests by many since they will burrow and destroy crops in order to eat insects.

This has led to many armadillos being killed by farmers and gardeners. They also can fall victim to cars. Nine-banded armadillos have a tendency to jump straight up into the air when they are startled, which often leads to their demise on highways. They are small enough that cars can pass right over them, but they leap up and hit the undercarriage of vehicles. And in some places, armadillos are even killed for their shell and eaten.

What can we do?: Although they are considered pests by some, armadillos are an important predator to many insect agricultural pests. In addition, these mammals are used for many medical research for leprosy due to their low body temperature to host the disease. Planting natural areas around your house or community encourages wildlife into the area by providing food and shelter for those species and can help keep them away from important crops.

Never remove an animal from the wild! Some well-meaning people will trap and relocate “pest” animals but the truth is, trapping rarely ends well for wildlife and is not a long term solution. While you might be thinking you are helping that animal, most people don’t realize the amount of care and time that goes in to caring for these animals, and removing them from their natural environment can be detrimental to the wild populations. If wild animals are not causing damage or posing danger, the best solution is to coexist! If you come across injured wildlife please call your local wildlife rehabilitation center as they are better equipped to handle and care for that animal.

The most important thing that we can do to help sustain their habitats is to “Leave No Trace”. Once you leave nature, no one should know that you’ve been there. This means bringing out anything that you’ve brought in. Additionally, leaving the environment unaltered is equally important.

Fun Facts

Armadillo means “little armored one” in Spanish. They are closely related to sloths and anteaters.
Armadillos’ teeth are single-rooted and peglike, ranging from 30-32 teeth. Armadillos are excellent swimmers because they can hold large amounts of air in their digestive tracts.
Armadillos will switch their activity level based on the season. In the summer, they are more active during the cooler nights whereas the winter they are more active during the warmest time of the day.
Their shell is considered to be modified skin (unlike a turtle who’s shell is made of bone) and has small hairs on its plates.
The largest armadillo species, the giant armadillo, can get up to 5 feet!

Bibliography

Green Tree Monitor

Physical Description

Green tree monitors are a type of lizard that can grow to be about 3 feet long with their tail being about twice the size of their body. They are dark jade to lime green with black crossbands, They have long claws and prehensile tails for gripping tree branches.

Predators

Some predators they may encounter include snakes and birds of prey.

Lifespan

They live an average of 10-15 years.

Reproduction

Females have been known to use termite mounds as nests because they serve as good incubators. The female may lay up to 3 clutches of eggs which will hatch after about 160-190 days.

Fun Facts

Green tree monitors are also known as emerald tree monitors.
They live in small groups that comprise of a dominant male, several females, a few other males, and juveniles.

Conservation Messaging

In our Reptile and Amphibian (RAD) center you will find many different reptiles and amphibians including venomous and poisonous species of snakes and frogs. Many of these animals fall victim to habitat loss in the wild. Many of the species here are found in South American habitats which are subjected to deforestation, damming of rivers, water pollution, and poor agricultural and management practices.

Angolan Python

Program and General Information

Angolan pythons are a non-venomous, constrictor species native to the shrublands and rocky outcrops of Southern Angola to Namibia. They are a moderately sized snake ranging from 3-6 feet in length. These pythons are a reddish-brown to brown (almost black), overlaid with irregular white or cream bands and spots. Their belly is yellowish and their head is covered by a large, reddish-brown triangular marking bordered on the sides by creamy white, black- edged bands. Angolan pythons are carnivores and their diet consists of small mammals, birds, amphibians and insects. Not much is known about this snake, but October is thought to be peak breeding season. Angolan pythons are oviparous and lay small clutches of 4-5 eggs, which hatch after about 70 days.

Diet

Angolan pythons are carnivores. Their diet primarily consists of small mammals and birds, but will also prey on small amphibians and occasionally insects.

They are largely nocturnal preferring to hunt for their food at night. Angolan pythons have five heat sensitive pits on either side of their face allowing them to figure out the distance and direction of warm-blooded prey.

Habitat and Range

Angolan pythons are found in Southwest Africa from Southern Angola to Namibia. These snakes live in the scrublands, grasslands, and rocky areas limited to elevations between 2460 and 5250 feet above sea level.

Little is known about the python’s natural history in the wild due primarily to its isolation within its range, some of which has experienced war and political unrest. From what field observations have been done, Angolan pythons appear to prefer rocky outcrops and drier habitats. Precipitation is rare and populations will concentrate around whatever source of water they can find.

Angolan pythons can withstand extreme temperatures as high as 122 degrees Fahrenheit and as low as 32 degrees Fahrenheit. Because they live in such harsh environments, these snakes will often seek shelter in caves and rocky outcroppings. Bead-like scales help Angolan pythons retain moisture in their dry environments.

Common Physical Features

Since these snakes live in such a harsh environment and the political unrest and wars surrounding their native habitats make it difficult for researchers to reach them, little information is known about these snakes. The info that we do know is from what few field observations have been made throughout the years. Angolan pythons are a moderately sized snake that can grow up to 3-6 feet. Pythons and Boas, including Angolan pythons, have anal spurs, appearing on each side of the vent. These spurs are important for the mating process, aiding the snakes in clasping onto their mate. The spurs on males are generally longer than those on females.

Angolan python’s coloration form a type of camouflage called countershading where the upper side is dark in color and the underside is light in color.

Adaptations: Being primarily nocturnal hunters, Angolan pythons have adapted to hunt better at night. Above their lip they have heat-seeking pits, which are able to detect wavelengths of light in the infrared spectrum and the signal is processed visually, meaning, they are capable of seeing a thermal image of their surroundings giving them an advantage in hunting in the dark as well as seeking out refuges when temperatures are too hot or cold.

Snakes have an interesting way of sniffing out their prey items. Like other reptile species, Angolan pythons have a Jacobson’s organ in the roof of their mouth. They will stick out their tongue in order to pick up scent particles in the air or from the surface of objects.
Their tongues are forked at the end, splitting in two directions in a V-shape, allowing the snake to pick up scent particles from two different directions. When the tongue is brought into the mouth to the Jacobson’s organ, the organ will process the information and determine which side of the tongue the scents came from. This will inform the snake which direction to go to find that scent. (If it picks up the scent on the left fork, then it knows to go to the left. If it picks it up on the right, then it goes to the right. And then if it picks up the scent on both forks then it knows the scent is coming from straight ahead. )

Angolan pythons are ambush predators; they will sit and wait for their prey to come to them. Like other snakes, they do not have moveable eyelids. Instead, they have a special clear scale that covers the eyes, making them appear to be always awake. Not having eyelids allows the Angolan python to refrain from blinking and keep its cover when it is camouflaged. Once a prey is close enough, the Angolan python will grab the prey and wrap tightly around it.

They have powerful body muscles to squeeze and suffocate prey. Snakes have a highly flexible skull that allows them to swallow their prey whole. Contrary to popular belief, they do not actually unhinge/dislocate their jaws to swallow prey because there isn’t anything to actually unhinge/dislocate! A snake’s jaw is only loosely joined to its skull by ligaments, which allows the jaw to be solid enough to bite, but flexible enough to expand for swallowing. Once prey is inside the mouth, the snake alternate using the left and right sides of the upper and lower jaws to “walk” the prey to the back of the throat where powerful muscles will help force the prey down the rest of the body. To better visualize the movement of the jaw imagine laying on your stomach and crawling using your elbows and knees to move. That is similar to how the snake’s upper and lower jaws work to push the food into the mouth and down the throat.

Behavior and Life Cycle

Angolan pythons are oviparous, laying small clutches of 4-5 eggs. It is not known whether or not the females incubate the eggs as other pythons do. The eggs hatch after about 70 days, and hatchlings are between 10-17 inches long.

Hatchlings are independent from birth and mature around 3 years of age.

Conservation Messaging

Purposeful Pet Ownership
Although a decent sized snake, Angolan pythons are considered fairly docile. This has made them quite popular in the pet trade. Many people don’t realize, however, just how much work goes into caring for reptile species. Reptiles require specific lighting, humidity, space, nutrients, substrate, heating, and if they do not receive the proper care then that reptile’s health can decline rapidly. It can be difficult to find veterinarians that are equipped to care for reptiles if they get sick.

By purchasing and owning an exotic animal, you could be supporting the illegal exotic pet trade. Oftentimes these exotic pets are taken out of their natural habitat to be sold in the pet trade, which can be detrimental to wild populations. One more exotic pet in captivity is one less animal in the wild which is resulting in species population numbers dropping drastically. This is especially harmful for species like the Angolan python whose populations are already hard to get to and study because researchers may not be able to catch a decline in numbers as easily or quickly.

What can we do?: Be sure to fully research any pet before buying one. While you may think a reptile would make a cool pet, it’s important to know all of the care that goes into providing that animal with the best possible welfare, and as mentioned before reptiles require a lot of extra care. It is important to make sure that if you do buy an exotic pet that you are buying it from a reputable breeder, someone who knows how to properly care for the animal and hasn’t taken that animal from its natural habitat.

Do not release an unwanted pet into the wild. While you may think that you are doing something good by releasing the animal back into the wild, animals that have been kept under human care often do not know how to survive on their own out in the wild and could end up getting hurt or dying if left to their own devices.

Fun Facts

Angolan pythons are one of the rarest snake species in Africa. They are also known as Anchieta’s Dwarf Pythons.
Ecological Role of Reptiles: Snakes play an important role as both prey and predator in ecosystems all over the world. They can be very important in regulating the populations of pest species such as rodents which are common around human activity.
Angolan pythons are the national snake of Namibia.

Bibliography

Masai Giraffe

Physical Description

Male Masai giraffe, known as bulls, can reach heights of 17-19ft and weigh between 2000 and 3000lbs. Females, known as cows, are a bit smaller at 16-18ft in height and weigh 1300-2000lbs. They are known for their “maple leaf” like spots. Each spot pattern is unique to that particular giraffe. These spots not only aid in camouflage but also with thermoregulation.

Predators

Because of their size and their powerful kick, not many animals hunt giraffes, but some predators that may prey on young, old, or weak giraffes include lions and crocodiles.

Lifespan

In the wild they can live an average of 10-15 years, but under human care they can live 20-25 years and possibly even longer.

Reproduction

Giraffe gestation is about 15 months, and mothers give birth standing up. The calf is about 6ft tall, weighs about 200lbs, and is able to walk within the first half hour!

Fun Facts

Giraffes are herd animals and will live in either a family herd or a bachelor herd.
Masai are the tallest and darkest of all the giraffe species (there are 4 species and several subspecies of giraffe).

Conservation Messaging

Like many other animals in Africa, giraffes are facing habitat loss. Agriculture, infrastructure, and resource extraction are just a few of the contributions to the destruction of wildlife habitats in Africa.

One thing that we can do is support sustainable agriculture practices. By purchasing products that are certified by organizations such as Bird Friendly, you are helping in the conservation of forests and habitats around the world.

Axolotl

Physical Description

Axolotls are neotenic salamanders (meaning they retain certain larval characteristics as adults) that remain aquatic their entire life. They average 6-18 inches in length and weigh 2-8 oz. Wild axolotls are typically dark in color and have the ability to shift their hue a few shades lighter or darker as needed for camouflage. They have feathery external gills, but they also have fully functional lungs. They also have long tails, four legs and large, flat heads.

Predators

Some predators they may encounter include predatory birds and larger fish.

Lifespan

They live an average of 10-15 years.

Reproduction

Axolotls breed between March and June. After a mating waltz, the female will lay 300-1,000 eggs and attach them to protective substrate individually. The eggs will hatch 2 weeks later and will have no parental care.

Fun Facts

Because of their limited distribution and their fragmented populations due to habitat destruction, axolotls are critically endangered.
Axolotls can regenerate their limbs, lungs, heart, jaws, spines, and even parts of their brain over the course of just a few weeks!

Conservation Messaging

Tawny Frogmouth

Physical Description

Tawny frogmouths are nocturnal or crepuscular birds with long wings, short legs, and stout bills. They average 8-21 inches tall with a 25-38 inch wingspan. They have wide, frog-like mouths and are typically gray with some black stripes.

Predators

Predators they may encounter include carpet pythons, foxes, and domestic cats and dogs.

Lifespan

In human care, they live an average of 10 years.

Reproduction

This species is monogamous and stay together for life. Breeding season runs from August-December, and pairs typically return to the same nest site each year. Females lay 1-3 eggs which will be incubated by both parents and hatch in 30 days. Parents will care for the chicks until they fledge 25-35 days after hatching.

Fun Facts

Tawny frogmouths are not owls even though they look very similar; they are actually part of the nightjar family.
When threatened, they will “stump,” which means that they will freeze their head craned upward, flatten their feathers, and reduce their eyes to slits in order to look like a broken branch.

Conservation Messaging

Tawny frogmouths face many threats from humans. Many of these birds are killed or injured each year by cars when they are chasing after insects illuminated by car headlights. They are also threatened by poisoning from insecticides and rodent poisons introduced to their environment by humans. Ecosystems have a natural balance so it’s important for us as humans to leave no trace! Once you leave nature, no one should know that you’ve been there. This means bringing out anything that you’ve brought in. Additionally, leaving the environment unaltered is equally important. To learn more about the Leave no Trace initiative and their 7 principles for minimum impact practices, visit www.lnt.org.

Domestic Chicken

Physical Description

Domestic chickens vary greatly in appearance due to breed, though they share common traits: squat stature, rounded bodies, dense feathers, and wattles of flesh around the face. Adult roosters (males) have distinct combs of red flesh and striking plumage including flowing tails and shiny, pointed feathers. They also tend to be larger than females. Roosters may also have spurs on their legs, which they employ in battles with other males.

Predators

Predators include coyotes, foxes, bobcats, weasels, birds of prey, racoons, opossums, skunks, and snakes.

Lifespan

Chickens can live up to 10 years.

Reproduction

Chickens are diurnal, social animals, with one rooster and several hens making up a flock. Nests are made on the ground and females incubate using a bare patch of skin on her chest that develops when brooding. Each clutch can yield up to a dozen eggs. These eggs can incubate for up to a month before hatching.

Fun Facts

Roosters are known for their characteristic crow. This shrill call is used to assertively communicate territory to other males. Hens will not crow, but may cluck to communicate with chicks or after laying an egg.
Chickens have very sophisticated social behavior with a dominance hierarchy where higher individuals dominate subordinate individuals. This is where the term “pecking order” comes from!

Conservation Messaging

Chickens as well as barnyard animals are commonly kept as pets on farms and ranches. It is always best to do your research before moving forward with purchasing any livestock. These animals require different needs from say your dog or cat.

For instance, most livestock animals are herd animals so having one is not an acceptable option. As always, every animal has individual needs that must be met in order to provide the best possible welfare which means you will need a veterinarian that specializes in hoofstock.

Toggenburg Goat

Physical Description

They are a sturdily built goat with strong legs and an elongated body. Their fawn, gray, or brown coat is short to medium in length with white markings. They average 26-33 inches tall and weigh 120-150 lbs.

Predators

Predators they may encounter include coyotes, mountain lions, wolves, and other large carnivores.

Lifespan

They live an average of 8-12 years.

Reproduction

Breeding begins once the ·day length shortens and ends in early spring. Gestation is about 150 days.

Fun Facts

They are thought to be the oldest known dairy goat breed!
Sometimes farmers will have them graze with their cows for pasture maintenance because they will eat many plants the cows don’t.

Conservation Messaging

Goats as well as barnyard animals are commonly kept as pets on farms and ranches. It is always best to do your research before moving forward with purchasing any livestock. These animals require different needs from say your dog or cat.

Bald Eagle

Physical Description

Bald eagles can reach up to 3ft in height, have a wingspan of 8ft, and can weigh up to 15lbs. They have a white head, white tail markings, and a brown body. Bald eagles are not actually bald; the feathers on their head are short and white. Eagles have extremely good vision but can’t move their eyes from side to side. Instead, they have to turn their whole head in order to look around.

Predators

Adults have no natural predators, but chicks are preyed upon by bobcats, wolverines, black bears, foxes, raccoons, and large birds.

Lifespan

Bald eagles live 16.5 years on average.

Reproduction

Courtship usually begins in April with both males and females performing special aerial dances in the sky where they lock onto each other’s talons and tumble/twist in the air. Bald eagles will make their nest near water and will return to their original nest. Females lay 1-3 eggs several days apart, once a year. Both parents will help take care of the chicks, but the female will be the primary caregiver while the male is the primary hunter. The chicks will remain in the nest until they are about 12 weeks old.

Fun Facts

The bald eagle’s grip strength is 10 times that of the average human.
When a bald eagle loses a feather on one wing, it will lose a matching one on the other. This way it doesn’t lose its balance.

Conservation Messaging

Most of the Bird of Prey here at the zoo are all rehabilitated birds who have sustained different injuries deeming them unreleasable. These birds fall victim to debris found on the side of the road. If it’s an apple core, banana peel, or some discarded trash it will attract their prey items which will then attract the bird of prey. Birds of prey have tunnel vision when hunting and will often not see a car coming. One simple way we can help is to dispose of all your trash properly, even natural items like apple cores and banana peels.

Domestic Turkey

Habitat/Range: Domestic turkeys are raised throughout the temperate parts of the world. Their wild counterparts prefer hardwood and mixed conifer-hardwood forest with varied clearings such as pastures, fields, orchards and marshes. Turkeys are native to North America and were taken to Europe by the Spanish in the 1500’s.

Life Cycle/ Social Structure

Males are polygamous and mate with as many hens as are available. Male turkeys display for females by puffing out their feathers, spreading out their tails and dragging their wings, known as strutting. Males may be seen courting in groups, with the dominant male strutting and gobbling.