Do you know what the word “armadillo” means? It’s a Spanish word meaning “the little armored one.” And that’s just what an armadillo is, a little mammal with a bony covering that is like armor.

There are ten different kinds of armadillos living from southern United States to southern South America. The upper parts of armadillos are covered with bony shells. These include one on the head and two solid pieces on the back. These two pieces are connected by a flexible center section made up of movable bands. This enables the armadillo to twist and turn.

The number of these bands in the center is sometimes used as a name for the armadillo. For example, there is the seven-banded the

eight banded and the nine-banded armadillo. The nine-banded armadillo is the only one found in the United States. The tail of the armadillo is also completely covered by armor except in the case of one kind, and naturally it’s called the soft-tailed armadillo!

A very curious thing about the armadillo is that its teeth are simple pegs without enamel. It’s one of those contradictions that nature seems fond of. A shell of armor on the body and soft teeth! Most of the animals have just one set of teeth they are born with, and that’s all.

As a result of having such teeth, the armadillo has to eat soft food such as ants, termites, larvae, grubs, and bugs. As you know, such food is found in leaves and the soft ground, so to get at it the armadillo has to dig for it. Nature made up for the soft teeth by giving the armadillo long, strong claws and powerful forearms. An armadillo can dig faster than a dog! And it uses the claws and forearms to dig its burrow or to make itself a hole quickly into which it can escape from its enemies.

The way most armadillos escape from their enemies is by digging or running away. Only one kind, the three-banded armadillo, rolls itself into a ball. Its shell is much heavier than that of the others, so this becomes a good way of protecting itself.

When man gets hungry and the supply of food is limited, he seems able to eat just about anything! You might consider the armadillo to be pretty good proof of this.

Here are creatures about as repulsive as can be, yet the natives of Central and South America are known to eat them! The armadillo is like a pig with armor. Its whole back and the sides of its body are covered with bony plates, jointed together.

The reason for these plates is obvious. They protect the armadillo in time of danger and from attack by its enemies. In fact, some types of armadillos can roll themselves into a tight round ball when they are attacked. The only thing that shows then is the armor plate.

Oddly enough, the armadillo is a very timid creature. It has such poor eyesight that it must depend entirely on its sense of smell and its hearing to know where it is and where it’s going. The legs of an armadillo are very short, but When it is frightened it can scamper away with amazing speed. It also has very powerful digging claws, and when it decides to bury itself, it seems to disappear before your eyes.

Armadillos are usually brownish-black in color, with yellowish markings above and a yellowish-white underbelly. They are constantly digging away and they make their homes in burrows in the dry soil of arid regions. Some armadillos are found as far north as Texas and others as far south as Argentina.

The great armadillo has a body 1 meter long and a tail almost as long. But there are some that are only Nor 15 centimeters. Fossils of armadillos have been found nearly 2 meters in length, and they must have looked like giant turtles. Armadillos feed at night on insects, worms, roots, and fruit.