![]() Their habit of leaping several feet into the air when startled contributes to many of the automobile-related deaths. Dozens of armadillos are run down as they wander onto highways at dusk. While some species of armadillo are hunted by humans in Central and South America for their meat, the greatest danger to armadillos in the United States is the automobile. Their armor also protects them from cactus spines and dense, thorny undergrowth. ![]() The three-banded armadillo can roll up into a tight ball presenting nothing but armor to its enemies. Once a predator catches an armadillo it must deal with its bony armor. They can also run surprisingly fast and, if cornered, will use their claws to fight. Once dug in, they expand their bony shell and wedge themselves into the burrow. ![]() Pressing its nose to the ground to keep the scent and holding its breath to avoid inhaling dust, the armadillo digs into the soil and litter with astonishing speed.Īrmadillos also defend themselves by burrowing into the earth, disappearing completely in a few minutes. At the San Diego Zoo and San Diego Zoo Safari Park, armadillos eat a special insectivore pellet diet that is served dry or with water to make a paste, mealworms. In addition to bugs, armadillos eat small vertebrates, plants, and some fruit, as well as the occassional carrion meal.A keen sense of smell helps the armadillo locate prey as much as 6 in (10 cm) underground. Strong legs and huge front claws are used for digging, and long, sticky tongues for extracting ants and termites from their tunnels. The armadillo is an insectivore, meaning that it can eat all manner of different types of insects as a part of its diet. They have very poor eyesight, and utilize their keen sense of smell to hunt. The southern three-banded armadillo eats mainly beetle larvae, ants and termites that it gets by probing in the ground, under bark and into nests. 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. Because of their low metabolic rate and lack of fat stores, cold is their enemy, and spates of intemperate weather can wipe out whole populations. Habitat and DietĪrmadillos live in temperate and warm habitats, including rain forests, grasslands, and semi-deserts. In fact, only the three-banded armadillo can, curling its head and back feet and contorting its shell into a hard ball that confounds would-be predators. Others have black, red, gray, or yellowish coloring.Ĭontrary to popular belief, not all armadillos are able to encase themselves in their shells. They vary widely in size and color, from the 6-inch-long, salmon-colored pink fairy armadillo to the 5-foot-long, dark-brown giant armadillo. Armadillos are the only living mammals that wear such shells.Ĭlosely related to anteaters and sloths, armadillos generally have a pointy or shovel-shaped snout and small eyes. ![]() The familiar nine-banded armadillo is the only species that includes the United States in its range.Īrmadillo 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. Omnivorous animals, screaming hairy armadillos will eat primarily plants, insects and. Of the 20 varieties of armadillo, all but one live in Latin America. If threatened, they will emit a loud squealing noise.
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