Its heavy body remains almost completely submerged, and the animal tires rapidly. They use their snout and long tongue to dig the ground for food. I have shot several Armadillo in my day. The pink colour of their shell is due to a network of blood vessels underneath, which can be seen through the armor. Stay up to date on the coronavirus outbreak by signing up to our newsletter today. The Library of Congress: How High can a Nine-Banded Armadillo Jump? Armadillos meaning "little armoured ones" in Spanish are New World placental mammals in the order Cingulata. Black cats are well-known for being bad luck. 2. Though they may not be very cuddly, there’s no denying that armadillos are still incredibly cute creatures! Only one species, the three-banded armadillo, can roll itself into a hard armored ball to defend itself against predators. It also had an armored back made up of more than 1,000 bony plates that fit together tightly, which made the glyptodon’s back look more like a turtle’s than a modern armadillo’s. You will learn something about everything! Armadillo sizes span from 5-59 inches (12-150cm) in length and 3-120 pounds (1.3-54 kg) in weight. The armadillo babies are born without the bony plates. The word armadillo means “little armoured one” in Spanish as the animal are surrounded by leathery strong armour shell. Armadillo Facts & Information The nine-banded armadillo is a funny little animal that lives in the southern part of the United States and down into Central and South America. Surprisingly enough, armadillos can run up to 30mph (48km/h)! Armadillos are the only mammals that have a body that is covered with a hard shell. They usually sleep up to 16 hours each day in burrows, according to National Geographic. Etymology. It is very common in Texas to run over a 9-banded Armadillo while driving hence the name “hillbilly speed bump”. Armadillos are the only other species on the 2. From time to time, they will scavenge for dead animals. Learn about the armadillo with these important facts about diet, behavior, appearance, and more. Armadillo is a Spanish word meaning “little armored one” and refers to the bony plates that cover the back, head, legs, and tail of most of these odd looking creatures. Contrary to popular belief, only one species of armadillo can curl up into a ball to defend itself against attacks. long, and weighs less than a pound! It is highly-territorial and always marks its territory. Log In Sign Up. You can eat armadillo, called “possum on the half-shell,” or, during the Great Depression, “Hoover hogs.” They are said to taste somewhat like pork. It becomes more active during the night, twilight, or just before sunrise. When a frightened three-banded armadillo curls up into a ball, it often leaves a space open. Let’s have a look on some more In fact, their huge shells ... it will retreat its feet under the shell's edge and touches the soil with the edges of the shell. But the most common and wide-spread species of armadillo, the nine-banded, ranges well into North America, and is the State animal of Texas. The gestation period for armadillos ranges from 2 to 5 months. After a gestation period of two to five months, the female will give birth to one to 12 young in a birthing burrow. Some species are vulnerable, though. © 2020 The Fact Site | All Rights Reserved | Sitemap, The Fact Site requires you to enable Javascript to browse our website. Armadillos have a wide range of colors. Similar names are also found in other, especially European, languages. From one egg there are 4 baby armadillos! Michelle Gabriel is a freelance writer and blogger and currently loving it! Visit our corporate site. 7. Armadillo Facts; All About Armadillos; A-maze-ing Letters; Armadillo Structure; Two Genera; There’s More! Armadillos can be pinkish, dark-brown, black, red, gray or yellowish in … But it is not as tough or strong as the shell of an adult armadillo. The name comes from the Spanish “armado” which means “armoured”. During cold times, a group of armadillos may hunker down in a burrow together to share body heat. It is so hard and durable that it can deflect a bullet…as one unlucky Texas man discovered the hard way when he was hospitalized after being hit in the jaw with a bullet that ricocheted off the armadillo he shot. They are also among the few mammals that can lay eggs. Did you scroll all this way to get facts about armadillo shell? There was a problem. Armadillos are omnivores, which means they eat meat and plants, though 90 percent of an armadillo’s diet is made up of insects and larvae, according to the Internet Center for Wildlife Damage Management. The color of the shell can actually change depending on the environment in which the animal is put it. They have a thick leathery “shell” of skin, which protects them from predators. Armadillos are like mammals and give birth to young ones and wean them with milk like any other mammals. I was out dove hunting MANY years ago. Wedged into the sands of Barrio La Flecha in Ezeiza, Greater Buenos Aires was hidden a shell of the extinct armadillo-like animals which roamed South America pre-Ice Age. Armadillos can be found in forested areas throughout Central and South America. Incredible Armadillo Facts The armored shell consists of overlapping scales known as scutes. For their shell and their meat and because farmers view them as a pest. Armadillos that carry the bacteria that cause leprosy now live over a much larger range of the South than they did just a few years ago, a new study suggests. They are also known as the “Hillbilly Speed Bump” for their tendency to get run over by vehicles. The smallest is the pink fairy armadillo, which is about 6 inches (15 centimeters) long. What’s their armour made of? According to the Internet Center for Wildlife Damage Management, armadillos are very picky about where they live based on what type of soil is found in the area. The armadillo is the only mammal to have a shell. Please deactivate your ad blocker in order to see our subscription offer. There are at least 21 different species of armadillo, each with its own unique appearance. Facts: Development for armadillos usually lasts four months, following to which time 1 – 2 young are natural. Well, they’re omnivores, so that means they can eat plants and animals such as insects, ants, palm nuts and fruits. The charango is a small Andean stringed instrument of the lute family, which probably originated in the Quechua and Aymara populations in the territory of the Altiplano in post-Colonial times, after European stringed instruments were introduced by the Spanish during colonialization. Armadillos of the genus Dasypus give birth to four genetically identical young that … Usually, armadillos prefer sandy or loam soils that are loose and porous. It possesses pink color bony armor shell. Armadillos are not social animals – they only get together with other armadillos to mate or keep warm. Color ranges for armadillos vary between dark brown, black, red, gray, or even yellow! Why Are Black Cats Associated With Halloween? Should you see one keep away because if one crosses you, you'll be cursed for life. Are they hunted? Armadillo is actually a Spanish word meaning “little armored one” and refers to the bony plates that cover the back, head, legs, and tail of most of these odd-looking creatures. Most of these are pretty ordinary, e.g the ‘Northern Naked-tailed’, Cabassous Centralis, ‘Southern Three-banded’, Tolypeutes matacus, ‘Big Hairy’ (yes, really! Only three-banded armadillo can curl into the ball to protect itself from predators. 7 – Armadillos come in many different sizes, from the smallest, the ‘Pink Fairy’ at about 5 inches (13cm) long and 85g in weight, to the largest, not surprisingly the ‘Giant’, at up to five foot (150cm) long and around 60kg (132lb). Armadillos sleep anywhere from 16-18 hours per day! They are weaned by two to four months. Armadillos sleep anywhere from 16-18 hours per day! 2 years ago. During the morning and evenings, they forage for food. Evidence suggests that this keratin is actually just modified However, while females are exclusive with their territories, males tend to overlap into those of others. According to the San Diego Zoo, twin births are common. The three-banded armadillo is the only species that can roll into a ball for protection. They are able to float on the water by filling their lungs and stomach … Since the mid-19th century, nine-banded armadillos have expanded northward. 18. The rest live in South America. Armadillo shells have been traditionally used in making a South American lute instrument called a charango. A newborn baby armadillo has a soft shell that hardens within the first few days. Their whole body (head, back, legs and tail) is covered with bony plates. In the wild, armadillo’s life spans range from 4-7 years. The armadillo shell is made out of bone that grows directly from their vertebrae. There are about 20 different species of armadillos. They also eat plants, eggs, small vertebrates and some fruit. Its body has an excellent mechanism to get across lakes… The armadillo has a very hard and scaly outer shell that covers its head, back, tail and legs to protect it from most predators. It is aptly named the screaming hairy armadillo. One species of armadillo screams loudly when it is threatened. However their body has been adapted to their surroundings in the process of evolution. The “armor” isn’t the only protection this armadillo has from predators. It is one of the desert friendly animals. This armadillo, also known as the long-nosed armadillo, has a hard outer shell, and I wanted to find out how it used it to its advantage. The armadillo can flush the blood vessels in its shell (hence the pink color), and adjust its body temperature. The largest species grows nearly 5 ft. long, and weighs up to 119 lbs. There are 106 armadillo shell for sale on Etsy, and they cost $27.88 on average. At the time of their birth, they only have a soft leathery covering that resembles their distinctive shell. This defense mechanism is not only applied to predators since armadillos are defensive to … There are 21 species of armadillo, according to the Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS). The largest are the giant armadillos, which are about the size of a small pig. Alina Bradford - Live Science Contributor Fun Facts about Armadillos. They are. As a whole, armadillos usually have tank-like bodies, with short legs and sturdy builds. They rarely share their burrows with other armadillos. Armadillo facts: Interesting facts about Armadillos. Armadillos sleep anywhere from 16-18 hours per day! Don't get the idea that they are cowards, however. It also has long nails that enable it … Due to their lack of fat stores, most armadillos stick to areas closer to the equator because they like temperate to warm areas. The median life expectancy for three-banded armadillos is around 16 years. The armadillo's hard shell is called a carapace and is made of bone and a tough tissue coating. Only one genus, which comprizes the two species of three-banded armadillo, ... A three-banded armadillo and her young. In captivity, they can live 12-15 years. Thank you. The smallest is known as the pink fairy armadillo, which is about the size of a chipmunk. This kind of behavior protects them from predators that are out to get them. Baby armadillos are called pups. An armadillo's armor is made up of overlapping plates covering the back, h… Other armadillos are too unwieldy to pull off this trick and prefer to escape predators by simply running away or, like the nine-banded armadillo, executing a sudden vertical leap three or four feet into the air. , gray or yellowish in color offspring of their time sleeping underneath, which comprizes the species. 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