Nine-Banded Armadillo
Part of Hall of North American Mammals.
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April, by the Rio Grande, Southern Texas
Surrounding this mother armadillo is an unusual family group: identical quadruplets. All litters of this species derive from a single fertilized egg that divides into four. The same-sex pups arrive in the spring, and even as newborns look like miniature adults. Armadillo pups nurse for two to three months before switching to an adult diet.
© AMNH/D. Finnin