![]() Nine-banded armadillos will jump 3-4ft in the air when they are surprised and play dead if caught. When other armadillos feel threatened, they tend to run away into their burrows or into thorny vegetation where they are out of reach of predators, and their armour protects them. If they feel threatened, they curl their head and feet inwards to form a hard ball. It is a tactic they use to avoid predators. Do all armadillos roll into a ball?Īrmadillos are famous for rolling into a ball, but it’s a bit of a misconception – only three-banded armadillos do this. The shells harden over time as bone forms underneath the leathery outer layer. ![]() They are soft, though, and feel leathery to the touch. Yes! Baby armadillos, known as pups, are born with their shells intact. For nine-banded armadillos, delaying implantation means they are able to time their babies’ births with the arrival of spring. Animals may do this for many reasons, though often it is to get through times of stress (such as lack of food or extreme weather) and give the babies the best chance of survival. Females give birth in birthing burrows after a gestation (pregnancy) of 2-5 months.Īnother fascinating fact about nine-banded armadillos is that they can delay implantation of the fertilised egg, a process known as embryonic diapause delayed implantation. These babies start from a single egg that then splits into four, meaning they are identical and all the same gender. The Nine-banded armadillo is worth a special mention here, as it always gives birth to quadruplets (four babies at a time). They also have long straggly fur on their underside to allow them to feel what they are walking over, used similarly to a cat’s whiskers.ĭepending on the species, armadillos have between 1-15 babies. They can smell things which are up to 20 cm below the ground. Living underground in dark burrows, armadillos don’t rely more on other senses – their eyesight is not very good. Armadillos have bad eyesight how do they find food? Their long sharp claws help them to dig in the soil for a mix of food such as ants, termites, insects and grubs. What do armadillos eat?Īrmadillos are omnivores, though they eat mostly insects and some plants. ![]() ![]() The nine-banded armadillo also lives in the USA and is the state animal of Texas. With the exception of the Nine-banded armadillo, all species live solely in Latin America. There are 31 species in the order, 21 of which are extant (alive today) species of armadillo. How many species are there?Īrmadillos are part of the mammalian order Xenarthra, which includes armadillos, anteaters and sloths. Want to know more? Read our favourite armadillo facts below. As the only mammals with a shell, armadillos are famous for the way they look, though that certainly isn’t the only interesting thing about them – they are brilliant diggers that hide in burrows by day and dig for termites and other insects by night. ![]()
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