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An armadillo looks like a fat, humpback weasel in a suit of armor. In fact, armadillo is Spanish for “little armored one.” The armor is made of plates of bone covered with skin. These protective plates are connected by overlapping bands that partly circle the middle of the animal allowing it to bend.

There are twenty different kinds of armadillos that live from Mexico down through South America. They come in a variety of sizes; the giantarmadillo can get as long as five feet and some types can live to be 23 years old. The nine band armadillo is the only kind found in the southern United States. They are generally timid, peaceful animals and will usually run to their dens if frightened. They can also protect themselves by quickly digging a hole to hide in right before an attacker comes. The three-banded type of armadillo can roll itself up into atight armored ball. This helps protect it from foxes and wolves who are unable to grip the armored plates and then leave it alone.

Some armadillos live in pairs but the majority live alone in a den in the open grasslands or the underbrush of forests. These mammals are well built for digging with their short front feet and powerful, curved claws. The claws are used to dig their underground burrows where they rest, sleep and raise their young. Armadillos can hold their breath for as long as six minutes. This prevents them from breathing in the dirt and dust as they dig in the ground. The nine-banded ones can even hold their breath under water and walk on the bottom of a river. But, they usually cross a river by swimming; they swallow air as they swim to help them float.

A keen sense of smell helps an armadillo find food. Termites and ants are favorites. As it digs into an insect nest, an armadillo will usually make grunting and snorting noises. Once it has found a group of insects for dinner, it will push its long, wormed shaped tongue far into the nest. The tongue comes out covered with insects which are gobbled down. Armadillos also like eating snakes, snails, worms,beetles, fruit, roots and even dead animals. These scaly mammals like a buffet of bugs and other creepy crawly things!

Most armadillos give birth to one or two babies. However, the nine-banded variety is different. It gives birth to four identical babies; the young are all the same, either all males or all females.