Species Spotlight

armadillo standing on a log
Dr. Deborah Craton

Nine-banded armadillo
Dasypus novemcinctus

Description: The nine-banded armadillo ranges in color from brownish-black to gray, with yellowish-white hairs. The body is covered with shell made of horny plates joined by leathery skin. They have poor eyesight but have a keen sense of smell.

Life History: Armadillos are known for their digging ability and can be very destructive, causing damage to crops and ground nesting animals. Another interesting fact about armadillos; they are the only other mammals, besides humans, that can suffer from leprosy.

Distribution: Native to Central and South America but has been expanding its range into the southeastern United States. It currently inhabits eight states in the U.S. - Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Alabama, Mississippi, Florida, and Georgia.

Resources:

Texas Parks and Wildlife

Animal Diversity Web

The Mammals of Texas

Nine-banded Armadillo, The State Mammal of Texas

The Biogeography of the Nine-Banded Armadillo ( Dasypus novemcinctus )

Invasive Mammals

South American Nutria (Myocaster coypus). Photo credit: C.C. Lockwood
South American Nutria (Myocaster coypus). Photo credit: C.C. Lockwood

Invasive mammals can cause a wide range of negative effects including habitat destruction, competition with native species for resources, predation on native species and can also spread disease.

List of non-native mammals in the U.S. and Canada

Invasive Mammals in Mexico (CONABIO)

Resources on Invasive Mammals
Showing 51 Results
Collapse100 of the World's Worst Invasive Alien Species
Description: Part of the Global Invasive Species Database. A list of one hundred species selected to collectively illustrate the range of impacts caused by biological invasion. Includes species description, taxonomy, habitat, impacts, uses, notes, geographical range, management information, nutrition, reproduction, lifecycle stages.
Resource Type: Checklists and Identification Guides, Life Histories and Species Profiles
Resource Format: URL
Publisher: The World Conservation Union ( IUCN ), Species Survival Commission ( SSC ), Invasive Species Specialist Group ( ISSG )
ExpandBeavers (Castoridae) Potential Distribution Map Services
ExpandBlackwater National Wildlife Refuge: USFWS Chesapeake Bay Nutria Control
ExpandChesapeake Bay Exotic Species
ExpandCoastal Ecosystem Science Lesson Plan: Alien Invasion!
ExpandDigital Distribution Maps of the Mammals of the Western Hemisphere
ExpandDigital Distribution Maps of the Mammals of the Western Hemisphere Version 2.0 for Order of Carnivora and Family of Herpestidae
ExpandDigital Distribution Maps of the Mammals of the Western Hemisphere Version 2.0 for Order of Rodentia and Family of Castoridae
ExpandDigital Distribution Maps of the Mammals of the Western Hemisphere Version 2.0 for Order of Rodentia and Family of Hydrochaeridae
ExpandDigital Distribution Maps of the Mammals of the Western Hemisphere Version 2.0 for Order of Rodentia and Family of Myocastoridae
ExpandDisease risks associated with increasing feral swine numbers and distribution in the United States
ExpandEffect of Nutria on Marsh Loss in the Lower Eastern Shore of Maryland: An Exclosure Study
ExpandFeral Hogs: A Menace to Wildlife
ExpandFeral Swine: A Compendium for Resource Managers
ExpandFeral/Wild Swine Populations 2004
ExpandFlorida's Exotic Wildlife: Status for 31 Mammal Species
ExpandGlobal Climate Change and Wildlife in North America (PDF, 34 pp., 622 KB)
ExpandGlobal Invasive Species Database - Invasive Species in Hawaii
ExpandInfluenza Exposure in United States Feral Swine Populations
ExpandInvasive Species in the Chesapeake Bay
ExpandInvasive Species Specialist Group (ISSG) Database: Ecology of Myocastor coypus
ExpandMaryland Marsh Restoration/Nutria Project Partnership: Partnership and Pilot Program FAQ’s
ExpandMembers of the Louisiana Aquatic Invasive Species Task Force
ExpandMongooses
ExpandMontana Aquatic Nuisance Species (ANS) Management Plan
ExpandMyocastor coypus Distribution in the United States
ExpandMyocastor coypus, Nutria
ExpandNab the Aquatic Invader!
ExpandNFSMS: National Feral Swine Mapping System: SCWDS Lab
ExpandNot All Alien Invaders Are From Outer Space
ExpandNot All Alien Invaders Are From Outer Space - South American Nutria (Myocastor coypus)
ExpandNovel Influenza A Viruses Isolated from Canadian Feral Ducks: Including Strains Antigenically Related to Swine Influenza (Hsw1N1) Viruses
ExpandNutria
ExpandNutria
ExpandNutria, Eating Louisiana's Coast
ExpandNutria, Myocastor coypus, control and management
ExpandOregon Aquatic Nuisance Species Management Plan
ExpandPortals and Pathways: Invasive Species in Louisiana
ExpandPotential Economic Losses Associated with Uncontrolled Nutria Populations in Maryland's Portion of the Chesapeake Bay
ExpandPseudorabies and Brucellosis Problems in Feral Swine (PDF, 2 pp., 17 KB)
ExpandRiver Otters
ExpandSouth Carolina Aquatic Invasive Species Management Plan (PDF, 107 pp., 6.71 MB)
ExpandState Management Plan for Aquatic Invasive Species in Louisiana
ExpandTexas Wild-rice (Zizania texana)
Expandtransitions... 2002 Annual Report on Aquatic Invasive Species
ExpandUSDA - APHIS - Wildlife Damage Management - Feral Swine Disease Surveillance
ExpandVertebrate Invasive Species of Concern in Maryland
ExpandWashington Department of Fish and Wildlife Game Management Plan, July 2003 - July 2009
ExpandWashington Department of Fish and Wildlife Game Management Plan, July 2009 - July 2015
ExpandWashington Gap Analysis Project's Predicted Distribution Map - Nutria
ExpandWild Boar (Sus scrofa)
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