Nine-banded Armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus)
by National Geo staff
Of the 20 varieties of armadillo, all but one live in Latin America. The familiar nine-banded armadillo is the only species that includes the United States in its range. Armadillo is a Spanish word meaning “little armored one” and refers to the bony plates that cover the back, head, legs, and tail of most of these odd looking creatures. Armadillos are the only living mammals that wear such shells.
Closely related to anteaters and sloths, armadillos generally have a pointy or shovel-shaped snout and small eyes. They vary widely in size and color, from the 6 in (15 cm), salmon-colored pink fairy armadillo to the 5 ft (1.5 m), dark-brown giant armadillos. Others have black, red, gray, or yellowish coloring.
Armadillos live in temperate and warm habitats, including rain forests, grasslands, and semi-deserts. Because of their low metabolic rate and lack of fat stores, cold is their enemy, and spates of intemperate weather can wipe out whole populations…
(read more: National Geo) (photo: Rich Anderson)
