Armadillo is a Spanish word meaning “little armored one” which is a good name for this animal since it has bony plates that cover its back, head, legs, and tail of most of these odd looking creatures. Armadillos are the only living mammals that wear the shells. They vary widely in size and color, from the 6-inch-long, salmon-colored pink fairy armadillo to the 5-foot-long, dark-brown giant armadillo.
Others have black, red, darkish gray, or yellowish coloring. In fact, only the three-banded armadillo can roll into a ball, curling its head and back feet and contorting its shell into a hard ball that protects it from predators. Armadillos live in temperate and warm habitats, including rain forests, grasslands, and semi-deserts. Most species dig burrows and sleep for 16 hours per day. They have very poor eyesight, and utilize their keen sense of smell to hunt. Strong legs and huge front claws are used for digging, and long, sticky tongues for extracting ants and termites from their tunnels. In addition to bugs, armadillos eat small vertebrates, plants, and some fruits. Armadillos are great swimmers. They can hold their breath for 6 minutes when they try. The armor of an armadillo is made up of bone.Some armadillos are very small, while others are huge. The smallest is the pink fairy armadillo, which is about 6 inches (15 centimeters) long. Giant armadillos are the largest species, and are about 5 feet (1.5 meters) long. Ashleigh
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorMy name is Ashleigh. This is where I post my blogs about animals. I am eight years old, and I am home schooled. Archives
May 2018
Categories
All
|