Armadillo, << `ahr` muh DIHL oh, >> is any of several small mammals with bony plates in the upper body skin. Armadillos live from Argentina to the southern United States. The animals have strong claws, which they use to dig burrows and to search for food. They use their long, narrow tongue to lick up beetles and other insects. Armadillos may also eat fruit, snails, spiders, and worms. Because an armadillo has only small teeth well back in its mouth, it cannot bite in self-defense.
An armadillo’s shell is its best protection. The shell consists of many small plates of bony armor fitted closely together. It is hard and stiff, but is jointed across the animal’s back. This jointing allows the South American three-banded armadillos to curl up into a hard, tight ball with the shell on the outside and the head and feet tucked in out of harm’s way. Few animals can then get a grip on these armadillos with their teeth or claws. But most armadillos hide in their shell only as a last resort. They usually hurry into their burrow at the first sign of danger. When an armadillo is too far from its burrow to hide there, it may dig itself rapidly into the ground if it has time.
Most kinds of armadillos live in South America. They include the pink fairy armadillo, which grows about 6 inches (15 centimeters) long, and the giant armadillo, which measures about 5 feet (1.5 meters) in length. The most widespread type, the nine-banded armadillo, ranges from the southern United States to Uruguay. It grows about 2 feet (61 centimeters) long. The female usually gives birth to four young at a time, always identical quadruplets.
Armadillos are the only known animal host for the bacterium that causes leprosy (Hansen’s disease) in human beings. For this reason, armadillos prove important in leprosy research.
See also Giant armadillo .
