The tail, head and limbs are also armored. To protect the soft belly area most species withdraw their limbs under the hip and shoulder shields and sit closely to the ground, while some can roll up into a tight armored ball. Armadillos have a rather flattened head with a long extendible tongue and small but upright ears. Hindlimbs always bear five clawed digits while forelimbs are strong and bear from three to five clawed digits that are used for digging. Armadillos often dig burrow systems and also dig to obtain food and evade predator.
All species are nocturnal.
Distribution of armadillos includes the southern US, Central America, and most of South America east of the Andes Mountains. Size varies by species. Young are weaned after a month and mature at a year of age, except for the Common long-nosed armadillo which takes half the time to wean and mature. Home ranges are set, but may overlap.