Dasypus novemcintus
Nine-banded long-nosed armadillo (English), Armadillo narigón de nueve bandas (Spanish), Carachupa (Peru)
© Renata Leite Pitman
Tracks:
The Nine-banded armadillo has 4 toes on the front foot but usually only registers 2 in the track. The hind foot has 5 toes, yet the middle 3 are most commonly seen in the track. The toes are long and the claws are blunt and used for digging. The hind foot often oversteps the front foot when walking leaving the classic pattern seen in the photograph below.
Similar tracks:
The seven-banded armadillo (Dasypus septemcinctus) is a much larger animal. The paca (Agouti paca) shows 3 toes in the hind track and 4 in the front and walks more flat footed.
Notes:
The photos we have of this species are from Texas in the United States. If you have any information or photos of known species from the neotropics, please contact us.
