Armadillo Fun Facts

Closely related to anteaters and sloths, armadillos usually have a pointy or shovel-shaped snout and small eyes. They vary widely in size and color, from salmon-colored pink fairy armadillo to dark-brown giant armadillos. Others have black, red, gray, or yellowish coloring.

They are covered with a hard shell or plates. In most species, the plates cover the head, body, and tail, and the outer surfaces of the legs. The plates are usually embedded in the skin and are overlaid with thin, horny tissue. These plates form separate shields on the head, forequarters, and hindquarters.

Armadillos do not generally curl up in a ball as a defense mechanism (except for the three banded armadillos). They actually do not have a lot of defenses. If they are startled, they will jump straight up in the air! TThey have bad eyesight so it is easy to startle them. Usually, they will run away and hide.

Some armadillos have been known to give birth up to two years after being kept in captivity. How can they do this? The nine-banded armadillo has the ability to delay implantation of fertilized eggs during times of stress.

The Giant Armadillo, which is found in South America, can be as large as 40 inches in length!

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 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.

With their stubby, powerful legs and strong claws, armadillos are designed for digging and do so constantly. They dig numerous burrows and bolt-holes and can interlink them with an extensive network of semi-permanent tunnels.

The armor-like skin appears to be the main defense of many armadillos, although most escape predators by fleeing (often into thorny patches, from which their armor protects them) or digging to safety.

Only the South American three-banded armadillos rely heavily on their armor for protection. When threatened by a predator, This species frequently roll up into a ball. Other armadillo species cannot roll up because they have too many plates.

Armadillos can 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 and intestines with air, which often doubles its size and allows it to swim across narrow bodies of water.