nine-banded armadillo

[ nahyn-ban-did ]

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.

Word History and Origins

Origin of nine-banded armadillo¹

First recorded in 1905–10

Example Sentences

And he says thar's a pock-marked Irishman as goes around between acts with a nine-banded armadillo.

From Project Gutenberg

An example of this form is furnished by another Edentate, Tatusia peba, the nine-banded armadillo (Fig. 358).

From Project Gutenberg

The young of the nine-banded armadillo in a given litter are invariably of the same sex and are closely similar in all features.

From Project Gutenberg