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(The leprosy bacterium is difficult to culture and armadillos have a body temperature of 34 °C (93 °F), similar to human skin.) [26] Humans can acquire a leprosy infection from armadillos by handling them or consuming armadillo meat. [27] [28] Armadillos are a presumed vector and natural reservoir for the disease in Texas, Louisiana and Florida.
Vertebrates form a significant part of an armadillo's diet, ranging from 27.7% by volume in summer to 13.9% in winter, the most common prey species being lizards, birds, frogs, and the mice species Eligmodontia typus and Phyllotis griseofulvus.
Unlike most armadillos, they are not fossorial, [1] but will use abandoned giant anteater burrows. [4] The three-banded armadillo has a long, sticky, straw-like pink tongue that allows it to gather up and eat many different species of insects, typically ants and termites. In captivity, armadillos also eat foods such as fruits and vegetables.
Giant armadillos typically weigh around 18.7–32.5 kg (41–72 lb) when fully grown, however a 54 kg (119 lb) specimen has been weighed in the wild and captive specimens have been weighed up to 80 kg (180 lb). [10] [11] [12] The typical length of the species is 75–100 cm (30–39 in), with the tail adding another 50 cm (20 in). [6]
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Belonging to the same group of mammals as sloths and anteaters, armadillos are voracious insectivores that eat large numbers of beetles, grubs, ants, termites, and other insects, grabbing them ...
It is an alert animal; unlike other armadillos, it flees on sensing danger and bites if handled. [2] Primarily solitary, six-banded armadillos will congregate only to feed on carrions. [11] A 1983 study in eastern Brazil calculated the mean home range size as 93.3 hectares (0.360 sq mi). [14]
Armadillos, the only mammal with a hard exterior shell, are native to South America but have been spotted across various areas of the U.S. in recent years. Here's what we know about the mammal ...