Armadillos

=__**Armadillo adaptations :)**__= = = = =

The Armadillo (meaning 'little armoured one' in spanish) is a small mammal, their most defining characteristic being the hard shell plating over the tops of their heads, their back, shoulders, and the upper parts of the limbs. This is basically bands of hard armour or scales that run around the armadillo's body to protect the armadillo from predators. All 20 different species of armadillo have different numbers of bands, and this is mainly how they are identified. Their closest living relatives are sloths and anteaters, but neither of these animals have a shell, and although it is a common beleif that armadillos can roll themselves up in a ball, only one species of armadillo can do this. Others use their shell for protection by lying flat on the ground with the edges of their shell dug into the ground so that they can't be rolled over, and some run into thorny patches from which their shell protects them. Other adaptations for protection include the ability to stay underwater for up to 6 minutes, a keen sense of smell, and the ability to run surprisingly fast on their short legs. They can even swim across small bodies of water by filling their stomach and intestines with air, and paddling somewhat like a dog. Armadillos are prolific diggers, and use their large claws to dig for food, dig to safety and dig themselves a burrow. (An armadillo's burrow is just a single tunnel dug into the ground where the armadillo fits itself). They have 5 clawed toes on the hinfeet, and 3 to 5 toes with heavy digging claws on the forefeet. Armadillos eat insects, and get these mainly by digging, but also have long sticky tongues for extracting ants from their homes. Because they have a low metabolic rate and very little in the way of fat stores, they like temperate and warm climates, so are found mostly in South America, their habitat ranging from rainforests and deciduous forests, to grasslands and deserts. Despite these adaptations for protection, the armadillo's protection status is threatened. This is mostly because people have killed lots of armadillos for their skin because it is leathery and tough. Also expanding roads have played a part in endangering armadillos, because lots of armadillos get hit on the road. Armadillos only live for about 5 to 7 years in the wild, and are now being protected in many reserves and zoos, where information suggests that they can live for up to 20 years.

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http://neyture.info/teachered/endanger/reports/mammals/armadillo/armadillo.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armadillo

http://www.sandiegozoo.org/animalbytes/t-armadillo.html

http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/armadillo/

https://www.msu.edu/~nixonjos/armadillo/faq.html#13