Characteristics of a Armadillo

1. Identifying Features: greyish-brown oval-shaped body with a long, tapering tail; long head with a pointy snout and small black eyes on either side; hard, armor-like shell (carapace) with 7-11 distinct band-shaped breaks around the center; four short legs with long claws designed for digging. 

2. Armadillo means “little armored one” in Spanish.

3. The nine-banded armadillo is the only species known to live in the United States, mainly in south-central areas.

4. The nine-banded armadillo can hold its breath for about six minutes allowing it to walk underwater for short distances.

5. The Giant armadillo is one of the largest species of armadillos. This animal is easily recognizable due to its powerful, enlarged central claw and the carapace, covered with tough bony scales. Pentagonal scales cover the legs and tail of the animal.

6. One of the armadillo's biggest weaknesses is its poor eyesight. When they are out at night, they are unable to see cars heading their direction until it's too late. Their defense mechanism of jumping also doesn't bode well as it leads them to jump up into the undercarriage of the vehicle passing over the top of them.

7. Armadillos live anywhere from seven to 20 years.

8. They give birth once a year, and always to a litter of four males or four females.

9. Despite popular belief, only two types of armadillos can roll themselves into a ball: the Brazilian armadillo and the southern three-banded armadillo.

10. Armadillos can control pests, disperse seeds, and be effective sentinels of potential disease outbreaks or bioindicators of environmental contaminants. They also supply important material (meat, medicines) and non-material (learning, inspiration) contributions all over the Americas.

11. Armadillo means "little armored one," and that armor consists of bony plates covered in keratin. There are about 20 species of armadillo, and all of them descend from South American ancestors. They are diverse in size, behavior, and their habitats. The IUCN considers two species vulnerable and five as near threatened.

12. A nine-banded armadillo can hold its breath for up to 6 minutes! ...

13. An armadillo's hard “armor” provides protection from predators.

14, An armadillo's long, sticky tongue helps it to capture and consume insects.

15. If an armadillo sees danger, it retreats to its burrow, where it arches and stiffens its back.

16. Without humans, armadillos relied on two physical adaptations to protect them from location to location: their hard “shell” and their advanced digestive system. Every year armadillos continuously grow and shed their “shell” forming what researchers call armor.

17. The armadillo is really strange looking. Although most armadillos look like they are bald, they do have wiry hairs on the sides and the belly. Some people refer to the hairs as curb feelers, since armadillos can feel their way around an area at night as the hairs touch objects.







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