

They are not good at staying warm on their own and don’t seem to mind having others around. When the weather is cold, armadillos may group together in burrows, often making a large nest of leaves, with grass inside. They travel to look for food and try to avoid danger. The heat is on. The majority of armadillos are solitary most of the time. Armadillos burrow in grass, hollow logs, and sometimes underground. But they are also found in thorn scrub, grasslands, and wooded areas. Most armadillos like wetlands with thick shade and sandy soil that is easy to dig in. In fact, everything varies when you're talking about armadillos! As body size and food sources vary, so do the home range and habitat of each armadillo species. Only the nine-banded armadillo is native to the United States. There are 20 armadillo species in the Americas most live in Central or South America. In fact, it looks like a mole wearing a fancy, armored headpiece and cape! In the size department, armadillos range in length from the pink fairy armadillo at 3 inches (8 centimeters) to the giant armadillo, which can be up to 5 feet (1.5 meters) long from head to tail and weigh up to 132 pounds (60 kilograms).īand on the run. In the looks department, the nine-banded armadillo appears naked, while the pink fairy armadillo is mostly furry and has little shell. Their peg-shaped teeth crunch on insects, an armadillo's favorite food. Armadillos also have long claws for digging and foraging for food.
FAIRY ARMADILLO SKIN
These hardened, overlapping sections give most armadillos a pleated look.Īlthough the bands are tough like fingernails, the shell is flexible, with softer skin that expands and contracts between the bands. The number of bands depends on the species. The one thing that tells everyone they are looking at an armadillo is the roly-poly shell with "armored" bands. Some people refer to the hairs as curb feelers, since armadillos can feel their way around an area at night as the hairs touch objects. Although most armadillos look like they are bald, they do have wiry hairs on the sides and the belly. A mammal with a shell? The armadillo is really strange looking.
