Animals

Armadillos are mammals and were given this name because of their bony armor shells. Armadillos in Spanish means “little armored one”. They use their sharp claws to dig for food like grubs and also to dig themselves a place to live in. They prefer to dig burrows in moist soil near streams or lakes.

The armor is formed by plates of dermal bone covered in 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.

This tough skin is the best defense that an armadillo has against predators. It gives them the ability to hide out in a thorny bush or somewhere where their soft skin is protected and which the predator will not be able to access. Also when they feel threatened they will roll themselves into a ball. There are certain armadillos who are unable to do this because they have too many plates in their armor.

Armadillos have short legs but can move quickly, and have the ability to remain underwater for as long as six minutes. Because of the density of its armor, an armadillo will sink in water unless it inflates its stomach with air (an ability unique among mammals which allows it to swim across narrow bodies of water), which often doubles its size.