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Armadillos (Spanish for 'little armored ones') are New World placental mammals in the order Cingulata. They form part of the superorder Xenarthra, along with the anteaters and sloths. 21 extant species of armadillo have been described, some of which are distinguished by the number of bands on their armor. All species are native to the Americas ...
The nine-banded armadillo is a solitary, mainly nocturnal [ 3 ][ 4 ] animal, found in many kinds of habitats, from mature and secondary rainforests to grassland and dry scrub. It is an insectivore, feeding chiefly on ants, termites, and other small invertebrates. The armadillo can jump 91–120 cm (3–4 ft) straight in the air if sufficiently ...
The southern three-banded armadillo and the other member of the genus Tolypeutes, the Brazilian three-banded armadillo, are the only species of armadillos capable of rolling into a complete ball to defend themselves (volvation). The three characteristic bands that cover the back of the animal allow it enough flexibility to fit its tail and head ...
The defense system of the Brazilian three-banded armadillo makes it safe from the majority of predators. Adult pumas and jaguars are the only South American mammals powerful enough to be a natural threat. The real danger to armadillos is the destruction of their habitats to make room for livestock. In addition to this, this species is facing a ...
Armadillos are small, skittish animals with a thick, leathery armor that makes them look more like reptiles than the mammals they actually are. They are native to the Americas, and have been ...
The pink fairy armadillo (Chlamyphorus truncatus) is the smallest species of armadillo, first described by Richard Harlan in 1825. [3] This solitary, desert-adapted animal is endemic to the deserts and scrub lands of central Argentina. [4] The pink fairy armadillo is closely related to the only other fairy armadillo, the greater fairy armadillo.
Tolypeutes. The genus Tolypeutes contains the two species of three-banded armadillos. They are restricted to open and semi-open habitats in South America. Of the several armadillo genera, only Tolypeutes rely heavily on their armor for protection. When threatened by a predator, Tolypeutes species frequently roll up into a ball.
Glyptodont. Glyptodonts are an extinct clade of large, heavily armoured armadillos, reaching up to 1.5 metres (4.9 ft) in height, and maximum body masses of around 2 tonnes. They had short, deep skulls, a fused vertebral column, and a large bony carapace made up of hundreds of individual scutes.