Type: Mammal
Diet: Omnivore
Average lifespan in captivity: 12 to 15 years
Size: 5 to 59 in (13 to 150 cm)
Weight: 3 oz to 120 lbs (85 g to 54 kg)
Did you know? The nine-banded armadillo’s hapless propensity for being run over by cars has earned it the nickname “Hillbilly Speed Bump.”
Protection status: Threatened
An armadillo is a mammal with hard leather on the back. It dwells under the ground and most of them are nocturnal, sleeping during the days and hunting at nights. To run away from its predators, it curls up in a ball and rolls away.
Of the 20 varieties of armadillo, all but one live in Latin America. The familiar nine-banded armadillo is the only species that includes the United States in its range.
Armadillo video.
What does an armadillo look like?
Armadillos are prolific diggers. Many species use their sharp claws to dig for food, such as grubs, and to dig dens. The Nine-banded Armadillo prefers to build burrows in moist soil near the creeks, streams, and arroyos around which it lives and feeds. The diet of different armadillo species varies, but consists mainly of insects, grubs, and other invertebrates. Some species, however, are almost entirely formicivorous (feeding mainly on ants).
Armadillos have poor vision. The armor is formed by plates of dermal bone covered in relatively small, overlapping epidermal scales called "scutes", composed of bone with a covering of horn. In most species, there are rigid shields over the shoulders and hips, with a number of bands separated by flexible skin covering the back and flanks. Additional armor covers the top of the head, the upper parts of the limbs, and the tail. The underside of the animal is never armored, and is simply covered with soft skin and fur.
What does the word armadillo mean?
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. Armadillos are the only living mammals that wear such shells.
How much sleep does an armadillo get?
Armadillos are actually the second laziest animals in the world. First come the sloths, which sleep for 23 hours in a day, armadillos sleep for 22 hours a day followed by the opossum which sleeps for 21 hours a day.
Armadillo images
Armadillo Wallpapers
Download free Armadillo wallpapers, click on the image to open the large version.
Armadillo wallpaper 1
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Armadillo wallpaper 3
Armadillo Coloring pages
Print free Armadillo coloring pages, click on the image to open the large version.
An armadillo is a mammal with hard leather on the back. It dwells under the ground and most of them are nocturnal, sleeping during the days and hunting at nights. To run away from its predators, it curls up in a ball and rolls away. 
formed by plates of dermal bone covered in relatively small, overlapping epidermal scales called "scutes", composed of bone with a covering of horn. In most species, there are rigid shields over the shoulders and hips, with a number of bands separated by flexible skin covering the back and flanks. Additional armor covers the top of the head, the upper parts of the limbs, and the tail. The underside of the animal is never armored, and is simply covered with soft skin and fur.
