nine-banded armadillo

American  

[nahyn-ban-did] / ˈnaɪnˌbæn dɪd /

noun

1. an armadillo, Dasypus novemcinctus, of the southern U.S. to Argentina, having nine hinged bands of bony plates, the female of which usually gives birth to quadruplets that are always of the same sex.

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Etymology

Origin of nine-banded armadillo

First recorded in 1905–10

Example Sentences

Today, there are only three survivors: the nine-banded armadillo, the Virginia opossum and the North American porcupine.

From Science Daily • May 28, 2024

Zoonomia demonstrated how some mammals have a very keen sense of smell - Hoffman's two-toed sloth, the nine-banded armadillo and the African savanna elephant - while others have almost none - whales and dolphins.

From Reuters • Apr. 27, 2023

The nine-banded armadillo and Hoffmann’s two-toed sloth followed, while the Central American agouti came in fourth.

From New York Times • Apr. 27, 2023

Of the 20 species, only one — the nine-banded armadillo — is native to the United States.

From Washington Post • Jan. 30, 2023

Early one morning we came across two armadillos—the big, nine-banded armadillo.

From Through the Brazilian Wilderness by Roosevelt, Theodore