SCENT DISCRIMINATION BY INFANT 9-BANDED ARMADILLOS

We tested the scent-discrimination abilities of infant (i.e., young-of -the-year) nine-banded armadillos (Dasypus novemcinctus) in two-choice tests. The amount of time spent near and the number of touches (with the snout) directed at pads containing various odors were recorded. In fants spent more time near and investigated more often a pad containin g their own odor over a pad with no odor (indicating infants could det ect the test odors), a pad containing their own odor over one containi ng odors from a strange infant (i.e., a nonsibling), a pad containing odors from a sibling over one containing odors from a strange infant, and a pad containing their sibling's scent over a pad containing their own scent. These results indicate the potential for discrimination of kin in this species and further suggest that the odors used in discri mination may be individually distinct. This latter result is surprisin g because nine-banded armadillos are born in litters of genetically id entical quadruplets.