Armadillo

## A mammal with a shell?

The armadillo is really strange looking. Although most armadillo species look like they have no hair, 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.

The one thing that tells everyone they are looking at an armadillo is the roly-poly shell with what are called "armored" bands. The number of bands depends on the species. The pleated look of most armadillos is made of these hardened, overlapping sections. Although the bands are tough like fingernails, the shell is flexible, with softer skin that expands and contracts between the bands.

Armadillos also have long claws for digging and foraging for food. Their peg-shaped teeth crunch through the bodies of insects, an armadillo's favorite food.

## Americana

There are 20 armadillo's species; all are found in the Americas, and most live in Central or South America. Only one armadillo species is found in the United States, the nine-banded armadillo. Because the body size and food source of the armadillo varies, so do the home range and habitat of each species. In fact, everything varies when you're talking about armadillos!

Typically, armadillos like wetlands with thick shade and sandy soil that is easy to dig in. But they are also found in thorn scrub, grasslands, and wooded areas. Armadillos burrow in grass, hollow logs, and sometimes underground.

## From one extreme to the other

In the looks department, the nine-banded armadillo appears naked, while the pink fairy armadillo is mostly furry and has very little shell. In fact, it looks like a mole wearing a fancy, armored headdress and cape! In the size department, armadillos range in length from the pink fairy armadillo at 3 inches (8 centimeters) to the giant armadillo, which can be up to 5 feet (1.5 meters) long from head to tail and weigh up to 132 pounds (60 kilograms)!

## The heat is on

The majority of armadillos are solitary most of the time. They constantly travel looking for food and always try to avoid danger. Sometimes, when the weather is cold, armadillos group together in burrows, often making a large nest of leaves, with grass inside. They are not good at staying warm on their own and really don’t seem to mind having others around. Seven-banded armadillos sometimes share the burrow with several others of the same gender.

Armadillos are warm-blooded, but because they have a lower body temperature, not much body fat, and thin shells, they cannot maintain their internal temperature as most mammals do. This causes their behavior to change from season to season. For example, in hotter months, armadillos may be nocturnal, foraging at night when it is cooler and easy to move around. When the weather gets cooler, the same armadillo may start foraging earlier in the day, becoming more diurnal.

## Activate pro

An armadillo's hard shell is simply modified skin that serves as one way this unusual animal protects itself. When an armadillo feels threatened, it usually runs, digs, and presses its body down in the dirt to keep from getting flipped over. The three-banded armadillo is the only species that can roll up into a ball for protection: its teardrop-shaped head plate seals the opening so there are no chinks in the armor. Some threats to armadillos include domestic dogs, wild cats, birds of prey, and humans.

## Hide-and-seek for dinner

Armadillos are considered insectivores, and their closest relatives are sloths and anteaters. Although most of their diet is made up of insects and invertebrates, armadillos also eat fruit, eggs, and small animals. They have even been seen eating carrion.

A sensitive nose helps armadillos sniff out tasty treats. If the food is underground, they use their long front claws to dig it up. This digging is why many people consider armadillos pests. Farmers and gardeners alike do not want this animal rooting around looking for bugs and destroying their crops or plants.

At the San Diego Zoo, armadillos are given a special insectivore pellet diet that is served dry or with water to make a paste.

## Little balls of joy

Breeding season for armadillos varies from species to species, but there are some armadillos that can reproduce year-round. Gestation is anywhere from two to five months. Armadillos do not form bonds, and the father does not stay to help raise the young.

A baby armadillo is called a pup. Armadillos can have from 1 to 12 pups in a litter. When the pups are born, their shell is soft and gray and feels like leather. The shell hardens within a few days. The mother nurses the pups, and they are weaned between two and four months of age. Armadillos usually become mature between 9 and 12 months of age.

The life span of an armadillo ranges from 4 to 30 years. Most armadillos living in zoos have a longer life span. However, the pink fairy armadillo rarely lives more than a few years in zoos, so little is known about this species.

## Nine-banded armadillo: The Lone Star mammal

Nine-banded armadillos are also known as long-nosed armadillos because of their longer head and snout. Despite the common name, they can have eight or nine bands, depending on where they are found. This is the species commonly seen in Texas, where it was adopted as the official state mammal.

## Giant armadillo: Armored king

Besides being the largest of the armadillos, the giant armadillo also has the most teeth, up to 100! It often rises on its back legs, balancing with its tail. Very little is known about this amazing creature, one of the most endangered mammals in South America. It digs a burrow out of large ant nests, which are common in the Chaco region.