About The Armadillo: Prehistoric Armour-Clawed Mammal Yellow Magpie

About The Armadillo: Prehistoric Armour-Clawed Mammal

A prehistoric animal, the armadillo has been around for over 60 million years. A living fossil it is at times difficult to describe this strange animal. A hardy and versatile animal, the armadillos is one of the most surreal sights in nature.

Armadillo About The Armadillo: Prehistoric Armour Clawed Mammal

Armadillos usually grow up to 70 cm (28 inches) in length. However, Giant Armadillos can grow to 1.5 metres (five feet) and weight over 60kg (131lbs). All 20 species are found only in the Americas. Armadillos can live to be up to 20 years old.

Armoured Clawed

One of the most striking characteristics of an armadillos is their body armour. Comprised of plates of bone and a horny material made up of bone, the armadillos back is heavily protected against the attack of predators. Although their backs are well protected, they do have soft, vulnerable underbellies.

Armadillos are incredible diggers. Using their sharp claws and powerful muscles, they can dig faster than six men with shovels. The Giant Armadillos has claws which are over 20 cm (nine inches) in length. They feed mainly on insects.

Nine-banded Armadillo

Common in the southern United States, the Nine-banded Armadillo is called after the amount of flexible bands on their back. They are highly unusual because they give birth to identical quadruplets in every litter. The quads are genetically identical. The Nine-banded armadillos is the only mammal to display this trait of polyembryony.

Incredibly strong swimmers, they defy their physiology when taking to the water. Because of their body weight the armadillo naturally sinks. However, they have come up with a novel solution to overcome this hurdle. They inflate their stomachs and intestines with air and this provides enough buoyancy for them to float on top of the water. Although all armadillos can do this, the Nine-banded armadillos successfully managed the impressive feat of navigating the Rio Grande in order to get into the United States in the middle of the 19th century.

Interesting apart from humans and mice, the Nine-banded armadillos is the only animal to suffer from the effects of leprosy.

Three-banded Armadillo

The South American three-banded armadillo is the only species of armadillo which is able to roll into a ball when threatened. Like the Nine-banded, it too is named after the amount of flexible bands on its back.

Relationship With People

Armadillos have an interesting relationship with people. They are at the forefront of medical research into leprosy. Many armadillos are lepers. They also provided a valuable food source during times of desperation in the United States. During the Great Depression in the 1930s many armadillos were eaten by starving people.

Further Reading

The Amazing Armadillo: Geography of a Folk Critter is one of the better books available on the armadillo. It details their unique characteristics and their relationship with humans. It also includes how they are benefiting human research.