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How can nine-banded armadillos cross a body of water?
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armadillo
Nine-banded armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus).
When encountering a body of water, the nine-banded armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus) utilizes two distinct methods to cross:1
- Walking underwater: Because the animal's carapace is too dense to allow for natural buoyancy, it can simply walk along the bottom of the water body while holding its breath.1
- Swimming: Alternatively, the armadillo can gulp a sufficient amount of air into its digestive system, which increases its buoyancy and allows it to swim across the surface.1