Description The only North American mammal armored with heavy, bony plates. Scaly-looking plates cover head, body, and tail. Body has wide front and back plates; midsection has 9 (sometimes fewer) narrow, jointed armor bands that permit body to curl. Head small. Underparts and upright ears soft. Sparsely haired body is brown, tan, or sometimes yellowish; depending on where it burrows, may be stained dark, even black, by earth or mud. Teeth are simple pegs. L 24–32" (61.5–80 cm); T 9 5/8–14 1/2" (24.5–37 cm); HF 3–3 7/8" (7.5–10 cm); Wt 8–17 lb (3.6–7.7 kg).

Breeding Mates in summer; after delay of 14 weeks, embryo is implanted in uterine wall in November. Single egg divides into 4 identical quadruplets, born in March, each weighing 3 oz (85 g). 1 litter per year.

Habitat Often determined by quality of soil for burrowing: favors areas with soft soil and rotting wood, and abundant in sandy soils; less common in clay, where digging is more difficult. Locally abundant in areas with shallow soils and rocky substrates (limestone) in the Edwards Plateau in c Texas.

Range Texas, Oklahoma, and se Kansas southeastward to s Georgia and most of Florida.

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