Armadillos are stout with short legs and strong, curved claws. Armadillos are small to medium-sized mammals. They have very poor eyesight, and utilize their keen sense of smell to hunt. Strong legs and huge front claws are used for digging, and long, sticky tongues for extracting ants and termites from their tunnels. Most species have rigid shields over the shoulders and hips, with a number of bands separated by flexible skin covering the back and flanks. Armadillos are solitary animals that do not share their burrows with other adults. Here are 13 Interesting Armadillo facts. Nine-banded armadillos are known for often giving birth to four identical pups. Species range in length from about 6 inches (15 centimeters) to 5 feet (1.5 meters). 2020 National Geographic Partners, LLC. This page was last modified on 21 October 2020, at 15:17. Only the South American three-banded armadillos (Tolypeutes) rely heavily on their armour for protection. Additional armour covers the top of the head, the upper parts of the limbs, and the tail. 1-5 Armadillo Facts 1. 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. There are about 10 living genera and about 20 species of armadillo. Armadillos have very poor eyesight, and use their keen sense of smell to hunt for food. The living ones have a leathery armored shell. This armour-like skin appears to be the main defense of many armadillos, although most escape predators by fleeing (often into thorny patches, from which their armour protects them) or digging to safety. They have five clawed toes on their hind feet, and three to five toes with heavy digging claws on their fore feet. Closely related to anteaters and sloths, armadillos generally have a pointy or shovel-shaped snout and small eyes. In common with other xenarthrans, armadillos, in general, have low body temperatures of 33–36 °C (91–97 °F) and low basal metabolic rates (40–60% of that expected in placental mammals of their mass). Armadillos of the genus Dasypus give birth to four genetically identical young that split from the same embryo; i.e. they always have id. WATCH: These Cute Armadillos Almost Always Give Birth to Quadruplets, https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/group/armadillos.html. PicFacts(1-500) PicFacts(501-1000) PicFacts(1001-1500) PicFacts(1501-2000) PicFacts(2001-2500) PicFacts (2501-3000) PicFacts (3001-3500) PicFacts (3501-4000) PicFacts … Armadillos are in the Cingulata, an order of New World placental mammals. The nine-banded armadillo is noted for its movement through water which is accomplished via two different methods: it can walk underwater for short distances, holding its breath for as long as six minutes; also, to cross larger bodies of water, it is capable of increasing its buoyancy by swallowing air, inflating its stomach and intestines. The armour is formed by plates of dermal bone covered in relatively small, overlapping epidermal scales called "scutes", composed of bone with a covering of horn. Armadillos are usually brownish black, marked with yellow above and yellowish white underneath. 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. Other armadillo species cannot roll up because they have too many plates. Most species dig burrows and sleep prolifically, up to 16 hours per day, foraging in the early morning and evening for beetles, ants, termites, and other insects. Armadillos species are mostly found in South and Central America, especially around Paraguay. Of the 20 varieties of armadillo, all but one live in Latin America. Many species are endangered. The dentition of the nine-banded armadillo is P 7/7, M 1/1 = 32. Their average length is about 75 centimeters (30 in), including the tail. They are the only living mammal to wear such a shell. They use their claws for digging and finding food, as well as for making their homes in burrows. They dig their burrows with their claws, making only a single corridor the width of the animal's body. Most of the 20 species are found in open areas, such as grasslands, but some also live in forests. In addition to bugs, armadillos eat small vertebrates, plants, and some fruit, as well as the occassional carrion meal. Some species, however, feed almost entirely on ants and termites. There are about 10 living genera and about 20 species of armadillo. Closely related to anteaters and sloths, armadillos generally have a pointy or shovel-shaped snout and small eyes. There Are 21 Identified Armadillo Species. Armadillos are like mammals and give birth to young ones and wean them with milk like any other mammals. The word armadillo is Spanish for "little armored one". The largest species, the giant armadillo, can be the size of a small pig and weigh up to 54 kg (119 lb), and can be 150 cm (59 in) long. The nine-banded armadillo, Dasypus novemcinctus, is by … Armadillo facts: Interesting facts about Armadillos. Tail, composed of small epidermal scales of horn-covered bone special because of the limbs, and the.... In using termites as their primary food source ( for example, Priodontes Tolypeutes! Their whole body ( head, back, legs and strong, curved claws armadillo prefers to burrows! 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