Armadillos are small
placentaThe placenta is an organ unique to mammals that connects the developing fetus to the uterine wall. The placenta supplies the fetus with oxygen and food, and allows fetal waste to be disposed of via the maternal kidneys...
l
mammalMammals are a class of vertebrate animals whose females are characterized by the possession of mammary glands while both males and females are characterized by sweat glands, hair, three middle ear bones used in hearing, and a neocortex region in the brain.Mammals are divided into three main...
s, known for having a leathery
armorArmour in animals is external or superficial protection against attack by predators, formed as part of the body , usually through the hardening of body tissues, outgrowths or secretions. It has therefore mostly developed in 'prey' species...
shell. The
Dasypodidae are the only surviving
familyIn biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus...
in the
orderIn scientific classification used in biology, the order is# a taxonomic rank used in the classification of organisms. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, family, genus, and species, with order fitting in between class and family...
Cingulata, part of the superorder
XenarthraThe superorder Xenarthra is a group of placental mammals , extant today only in the Americas. The origins of the order can be traced back as far as the early Tertiary...
along with the
anteaterAnteaters are the four mammal species of the suborder Vermilingua commonly known for eating ants and termites. Together with the sloths, they compose the order Pilosa...
s and
slothThe living sloths comprise six species of medium-sized mammals belonging to the families Megalonychidae and Bradypodidae, part of the order Pilosa. They are arboreal residents of the rainforests of Central and South America. The sloth's taxonomic suborder is Folivora, while some call it Phyllophaga...
s. The word
armadillo is
SpanishSpanish or Castilian is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that originated in northern Spain and gradually spread in the Kingdom of Castile, evolving into the principal language of government and trade in the Iberian peninsula...
for "little armored one".
There are approximately 10 extant
generaIn biology, a genus is a taxonomic unit used in the classification of living and fossil organisms. The term comes from Latin genus "descent, family, type, gender" , cognate with – genos, "race, stock, kin" ..In addition, genus is a taxonomic rank in the hierarchy In biology, a genus (plural:...
and around 20 extant
speciesIn biology, a species is:* a taxonomic rank or* a unit at that rank ....
of armadillo, some of which are distinguished by the number of bands on their armor.
Armadillos are small
placentaThe placenta is an organ unique to mammals that connects the developing fetus to the uterine wall. The placenta supplies the fetus with oxygen and food, and allows fetal waste to be disposed of via the maternal kidneys...
l
mammalMammals are a class of vertebrate animals whose females are characterized by the possession of mammary glands while both males and females are characterized by sweat glands, hair, three middle ear bones used in hearing, and a neocortex region in the brain.Mammals are divided into three main...
s, known for having a leathery
armorArmour in animals is external or superficial protection against attack by predators, formed as part of the body , usually through the hardening of body tissues, outgrowths or secretions. It has therefore mostly developed in 'prey' species...
shell. The
Dasypodidae are the only surviving
familyIn biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus...
in the
orderIn scientific classification used in biology, the order is# a taxonomic rank used in the classification of organisms. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, family, genus, and species, with order fitting in between class and family...
Cingulata, part of the superorder
XenarthraThe superorder Xenarthra is a group of placental mammals , extant today only in the Americas. The origins of the order can be traced back as far as the early Tertiary...
along with the
anteaterAnteaters are the four mammal species of the suborder Vermilingua commonly known for eating ants and termites. Together with the sloths, they compose the order Pilosa...
s and
slothThe living sloths comprise six species of medium-sized mammals belonging to the families Megalonychidae and Bradypodidae, part of the order Pilosa. They are arboreal residents of the rainforests of Central and South America. The sloth's taxonomic suborder is Folivora, while some call it Phyllophaga...
s. The word
armadillo is
SpanishSpanish or Castilian is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that originated in northern Spain and gradually spread in the Kingdom of Castile, evolving into the principal language of government and trade in the Iberian peninsula...
for "little armored one".
There are approximately 10 extant
generaIn biology, a genus is a taxonomic unit used in the classification of living and fossil organisms. The term comes from Latin genus "descent, family, type, gender" , cognate with – genos, "race, stock, kin" ..In addition, genus is a taxonomic rank in the hierarchy In biology, a genus (plural:...
and around 20 extant
speciesIn biology, a species is:* a taxonomic rank or* a unit at that rank ....
of armadillo, some of which are distinguished by the number of bands on their armor. Their average length is about 75 centimeters (30 in), including tail; the
Giant ArmadilloThe Giant Armadillo , colloquially Tatou, Ocarro, Tatu-canastra or Tatú Carreta, is the largest living species of armadillo. It was once found widely throughout the tropical forests of eastern South America and now ranges throughout varied habitat as far south as northern Argentina...
grows up to 1.5 m (5 ft) and weighs 59 kg (130 lbs), while the
Pink Fairy ArmadilloThe Pink Fairy Armadillo or Pichiciego is the smallest species of armadillo ....
s are diminutive species with an overall length of 12–15 cm (4–5 in). All species are native to the
AmericasThe Americas, or America, are lands in the Western hemisphere or New World, comprising the continents of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions. America may be ambiguous in English, as it is more commonly used to refer to the United States of America...
, where they inhabit a variety of environments.
In the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, the sole resident armadillo is the
Nine-banded ArmadilloThe Nine-Banded Armadillo , or the nine-banded long-nosed armadillo , is a species of armadillo found in North, Central, and South America, making it the most widespread of the armadillos...
(Dasypus novemcinctus), which is most common in the central southernmost states, particularly
TexasTexas is the second-largest U.S. state in both area and population, and the largest state in the contiguous United States.The name had wide usage among native Americans, meaning "friends" or "allies"...
. Their range is as far east as
South CarolinaSouth Carolina is a U.S. state that borders Georgia to the south and North Carolina to the north. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence from the British Crown during the American Revolution. The colony was...
and
FloridaFlorida is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States, bordering Alabama to the northwest and Georgia to the north. It was the 27th state admitted to the United States...
and as far north as
NebraskaNebraska is a state located on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha....
; they have been consistently expanding their range over the last century due to a lack of natural predators and have been found as far north as
IllinoisIllinois , the 21st state admitted to the United States of America, is the most populous and demographically diverse Midwestern state and the fifth most populous state in the nation...
and
IndianaIndiana is a U.S. state, the 19
th admitted to the Union. It is located in the Great Lakes region, and with approximately 6.3 million residents, is ranked 16
th in population and 17
th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38
th in land area, and is the...
.
Habitat and anatomy
Armadillos are prolific diggers. Many species use their sharp claws to dig for food, such as grubs, and to dig dens. The Nine-banded Armadillo prefers to build
burrowA burrow is a hole or tunnel dug into the ground by an animal to create a space suitable for habitation, temporary refuge, or as a byproduct of locomotion. Burrows provide a form of shelter against predation and exposure to the elements, so the burrowing way of life is quite popular among the...
s in moist
soilSoil is a natural body consisting of layers of mineral constituents of variable thicknesses, which differ from the parent materials in their morphological, physical, chemical, and mineralogical characteristics. It is composed of particles of broken rock that have been altered by chemical and...
near the creeks, streams, and
arroyosAn arroyo , also called a wash or draw, is a usually dry creek bed or gulch that temporarily fills with water after a heavy rain, or seasonally. As such, the term is similar to the word wadi. Arroyos can be natural or man-made. The term usually applies to a mountainous desert environment...
around which it lives and feeds. The diet of different armadillo species varies, but consists mainly of
insectInsects are arthropods, having a hard exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae. They are the most diverse group of animals on the planet and include more than a million species that are already described. Insects represent more than half of all...
s, grubs, and other
invertebrateAn invertebrate is an animal without a vertebral column. The group includes 95% of all animal species — all animals except those in the Chordate subphylum Vertebrata ....
s. Some species, however, are almost entirely formicivorous (feeding mainly on ants).
Armadillos have poor vision. The armor is formed by plates of dermal bone covered in relatively small, overlapping epidermal scales called "
scuteA scute or scutum is a bony external plate or scale, as on the shell of a turtle, the skin of crocodilians, or the feet of some birds.-Properties:Scutes are similar to scales and serve the same function...
s", composed of bone with a covering of horn. In most species, there are rigid shields over the shoulders and hips, with a number of bands separated by flexible skin covering the back and flanks. Additional armor covers the top of the head, the upper parts of the limbs, and the tail. The underside of the animal is never armored, and is simply covered with soft skin and fur.
This armor-like skin appears to be the main defense of many armadillos, although most escape predators by fleeing (often into thorny patches, from which their armor protects them) or digging to safety. Only the
South AmericaSouth America is the southern continent of the Americas, situated entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere...
n three-banded armadillos (
Tolypeutes) rely heavily on their armor for protection. When threatened by a predator,
Tolypeutes species frequently roll up into a ball. Other armadillo species cannot roll up because they have too many plates. The North American Nine-banded Armadillo tends to jump straight in the air when surprised, and consequently often collides with the undercarriage or fenders of passing vehicles.
Armadillos have short legs but can move quite quickly, and have the ability to remain underwater for as long as six minutes. Because of the density of its armor, an armadillo will sink in water unless it inflates its stomach and intestines with air, which often doubles its size and allows it to swim across narrow bodies of water.
Armadillos use their claws for digging and finding food, as well as for making their homes in burrows. They dig their burrows with their claws, only making a single corridor where they fit themselves. They have five clawed toes on the hindfeet, and three to five toes with heavy digging claws on the forefeet. Armadillos have a large number of cheek teeth, which are not divided into
premolarThe premolar teeth or bicuspids are transitional teeth located between the canine and molar teeth. In humans, there are two premolars per quadrant, making eight premolars total in the mouth. They have at least two cusps. Premolars can be considered as a 'transitional tooth' during chewing, or...
s and
molarMolars are the rearmost and most complicated kind of tooth in most mammals. In many mammals they grind food; hence the Latin name mola, "millstone"....
s, but usually have
incisorIncisors are the first kind of tooth in heterodont mammals. They are located in the premaxilla above and mandible below.-Function:...
s or canines.
GestationGestation is the carrying of an embryo or fetus inside a female viviparous animal. Mammals duringpregnancy can have one or more gestations at the same time ....
lasts anywhere from 60 to 120 days, depending on species, although the nine-banded armadillo also exhibits delayed implantation, so that the young are not typically born for eight months after mating. Most members of the genus
Dasypus give birth to four monozygotic young (that is, identical quadruplets), but other species may have typical litter sizes that range from one to eight. The young are born with soft leathery skin, which hardens within a few weeks, and reach sexual maturity in 3–12 months, depending on the species. Armadillos are solitary animals that do not share their burrows with other adults.
Classification
Order CINGULATA
- Family †Pampatheriidae
Pampatheridae is an ancient family, now extinct, of large armadillo-like plantigrade armored xenarthrans. They are related to Glyptodontidae, an extinct family of much larger and more heavily armored xenarthrans, as well as to extant armadillos . Pampatheres evolved in South America during its...
: pampatheres
- Genus †Machlydotherium
- Genus †Kraglievichia
- Genus †Vassallia
- Genus †Plaina
- Genus †Scirrotherium
- Genus †Pampatherium
- Genus †Holmesina
Holmesina is a genus of pampathere, an extinct group of armadillo-like creatures that were distantly related to extant armadillos. Like armadillos, and unlike the other extinct branch of Cingulata, the glyptodonts, the shell was made up of flexible plates which allowed the animal to move more easily...
- Family †Glyptodontidae
Glyptodonts were large, more heavily-armored relatives of extinct pampatheres and modern armadillos. They first evolved during the Miocene in South America, which remained their center of species diversity...
: glyptodonts
- Genus †Doedicurus
Doedicurus clavicaudatus was a prehistoric glyptodont, living during the Pleistocene until the end of the last ice age, some 11,000 years ago. This was the largest known glyptodontid, and one of the better known members of the New World Pleistocene megafauna, with a height of 1.5 meters and an...
- Genus †Glyptodon
Glyptodon was a large, armored mammal of the Glyptodontidae family, related to the armadillo, that lived during the Pleistocene Epoch...
- Genus †Glyptotherium
- Genus †Hoplophorus
Hoplophorus was an extinct genus of glyptodont, a family of mammals related to armadillo. The only known species was H. euphractus....
- Genus †Panochthus
Panochthus is an extinct genus of glyptodont, who lived in Argentina during the Pleistocene epoch.It could reach 3 m of length; the upper skull and the body were protected by hemispherical armor composed of hundred of rounded scales. The tail, short and wedge-shaped, consisted of small bony...
- Genus †Parapropalaehoplophorus
Parapropalaehoplophorus septentrionalis was a relatively small species of glyptodont, extinct relatives of the modern armadillo. The mammal, identified in 2007 from the fossilized remains of a specimen found in 2004, weighed approximately 200 pounds and had a shell covered by tiny circular bumps...
- Genus †Plaxhaplous
- Family Dasypodidae: armadillos
- Subfamily Dasypodinae
- Genus Dasypus
Dasypus is a genus of armadillo in the Dasypodidae family. It is the only genus in the subfamily Dasypodinae and contains the following species:*Nine-banded Armadillo, Dasypus novemcinctus*Seven-banded Armadillo, Dasypus septemcinctus...
- Nine-banded Armadillo
The Nine-Banded Armadillo , or the nine-banded long-nosed armadillo , is a species of armadillo found in North, Central, and South America, making it the most widespread of the armadillos...
or Long-nosed Armadillo, Dasypus novemcinctus
- Seven-banded Armadillo
Seven-banded Long-nosed Armadillo or just Seven-banded Armadillo, Dasypus septemcinctus, is a species of armadillo from South America. It is found in Colombia, Venezuela, Bolivia and Brazil....
, Dasypus septemcinctus
- Southern Long-nosed Armadillo
Southern Long-nosed Armadillo, Dasypus hybridus, is an armadillo species from South America. It is found in Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay.-References:*...
, Dasypus hybridus
- Llanos Long-nosed Armadillo
The Llanos Long-nosed Armadillo is a species of armadillo in the Dasypodidae family. It is endemic to Colombia and Venezuela. The species is very closely related to the Nine-banded Armadillo and the Greater Long-nosed Armadillo. It has very little hair and can weigh up to 22 pounds , and can...
, Dasypus sabanicola
- Great Long-nosed Armadillo, Dasypus kappleri
- Hairy Long-nosed Armadillo
The Hairy Long-nosed Armadillo is a species of armadillo in the Dasypodidae family. It is endemic to Peru. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist montanes. It is threatened by habitat loss....
, Dasypus pilosus
- Yepes's Mulita
Yepes's Mulita is a species of armadillo in the Dasypodidae family. It is endemic to Argentina. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry forests....
, Dasypus yepesi
- †Beautiful Armadillo
Dasypus bellus is an extinct armadillo species endemic to North America and South America from the Pleistocene, living from 1.8 mya—11,000 years ago, existing for approximately ....
, Dasypus bellus
- Subfamily Euphractinae
Euphractinae is a subfamily of armadillo in the Dasypodidae family. It contains the following genera:*Calyptophractus*Chaetophractus*Chlamyphorus*Euphractus*Zaedyus...
- Genus Calyptophractus
- Greater Fairy Armadillo
The Greater Fairy Armadillo , also known as Burmeister's Armadillo or the Chacoan Fairy Armadillo, is a species of armadillo in the Dasypodidae family. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, and Paraguay. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry shrubland and subtropical or tropical dry...
, Calyptophractus retusus
- Genus Chaetophractus
Chaetophractus is a genus of armadillo in the Dasypodidae family. It contains the following species:*Screaming Hairy Armadillo, Chaetophractus vellerosus*Big Hairy Armadillo, Chaetophractus villosus...
- Screaming Hairy Armadillo
The Screaming Hairy Armadillo is a species of armadillo in the Dasypodidae family. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, and Paraguay...
, Chaetophractus vellerosus
- Big Hairy Armadillo
The Big Hairy Armadillo is a species of armadillo in the Dasypodidae family. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, and Paraguay at elevations from sea level to 1300 m. Its natural habitats are grasslands and savanna, including pampas and chaco, as well as forested and cultivated areas....
, Chaetophractus villosus
- Andean Hairy Armadillo
The Andean Hairy Armadillo is an armadillo present in Bolivia, in the region of the Puna, the departments of Oruro, La Paz, and Cochabamba . Nowark describes it as distributed in Bolivia and the northern Chile. A recent publication of Pacheco et al. also locates the species in Peru....
, Chaetophractus nationi
- Genus †Peltephilus
Peltephilus ferox, the Horned Armadillo, was a species of dog-sized, armadillo-like xenarthran mammal which first inhabited Argentina during the Oligocene epoch, and became extinct sometime during the Miocene epoch. Notably, the scutes on its head were so developed that they formed horns protecting...
- Horned Armadillo, Peltephilus ferox
- Genus Chlamyphorus
-
- Pink Fairy Armadillo
The Pink Fairy Armadillo or Pichiciego is the smallest species of armadillo ....
, Chlamyphorus truncatus
- Genus Euphractus
- Six-banded Armadillo
The Six-banded Armadillo , also known as the Yellow Armadillo, is a species of armadillo from South America. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay and isolated populations in Suriname...
, Euphractus sexcinctus
- Genus Zaedyus
- Pichi
The Pichi or Dwarf Armadillo is a small armadillo that is the only member the genus Zaedyus. The range of the Pichi is from central and southern Argentina , west to the Andean grasslands of Chile and south to the Strait of Magellan.Its body is approximately long with a tail of 4-6 inches...
, Zaedyus pichiy
- Subfamily Tolypeutinae
Tolypeutinae is a subfamily of armadillo in the Dasypodidae family. It contains the following genera:*Cabassous*Priodontes*Tolypeutes...
- Genus Cabassous
Cabassous is a genus of armadillo in the Dasypodidae family. It contains the following species:*Northern Naked-tailed Armadillo, Cabassous centralis*Chacoan Naked-tailed Armadillo, Cabassous chacoensis...
- Northern Naked-tailed Armadillo
The Northern Naked-tailed Armadillo is a species of armadillo. It is found from southern Mexico to Colombia and Venezuela, and is one of only two species of armadillos that can be found outside of South America.-References:...
, Cabassous centralis
- Chacoan Naked-tailed Armadillo
The Chacoan Naked-tailed Armadillo is a species of armadillo in the Dasypodidae family. It is found in Argentina, Paraguay, and possibly Brazil. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests and subtropical or tropical dry shrubland. It is threatened by habitat loss....
, Cabassous chacoensis
- Southern Naked-tailed Armadillo
The Southern Naked-tailed Armadillo, Cabassous unicinctus, is a small species of armadillo from South America. It is found in Colombia, Venezuela, Peru, Bolivia and Brazil....
, Cabassous unicinctus
- Greater Naked-tailed Armadillo
The Greater Naked-tailed Armadillo, Cabassous tatouay, is an armadillo species from South America. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay.-References:*...
, Cabassous tatouay
- Genus Priodontes
- Giant Armadillo
The Giant Armadillo , colloquially Tatou, Ocarro, Tatu-canastra or Tatú Carreta, is the largest living species of armadillo. It was once found widely throughout the tropical forests of eastern South America and now ranges throughout varied habitat as far south as northern Argentina...
, Priodontes maximus
- Genus Tolypeutes
The genus Tolypeutes contains the two species of three-banded armadillos. They are restricted to South America, mostly Brazil.- Species :* Tolypeutes matacus – Southern Three-banded Armadillo...
- Southern Three-banded Armadillo
The Southern Three-banded Armadillo , also called the La Plata Three-Banded Armadillo, is an armadillo species from South America...
, Tolypeutes matacus
- Brazilian Three-banded Armadillo
The Brazilian Three-banded Armadillo is an armadillo species endemic to Brazil. It is one of only two species of armadillo that can roll into a ball...
, Tolypeutes tricinctus
† indicates extinct taxon
As musical instruments
Armadillo shells have traditionally been used to make the back of the
charangoThe instrument was invented in the early 18th century in the Viceroyalty of Peru, a South American entity that was controlled by Spain during the times of the Spanish colonization of the Americas.- History :...
, an
AndeanAndean music comes from the general area inhabited by Quechuas, Aymaras and other peoples that where part of the Inca Empire prior to European contact...
luteLute can refer generally to any plucked string instrument with a neck and a deep round back, or more specifically to an instrument from the family of European lutes....
instrument; nowadays charangos are made entirely of wood.
In science
Armadillos are often used in the study of
leprosyLeprosy , or Hansen's disease , is a chronic disease caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium leprae and Mycobacterium lepromatosis. Leprosy is primarily a granulomatous disease of the peripheral nerves and mucosa of the upper respiratory tract; skin lesions are the primary external symptom...
, since they, along with
mangabeyThe term mangabey can refer to three different genera of Old World monkeys:*Lophocebus, the crested mangabeys*Rungwecebus, the highland mangabey*Cercocebus, the white-eyelid mangabeys...
monkeyA monkey is any cercopithecoid or platyrrhine primate. All primates that are not prosimians or apes are monkeys. The 264 known extant monkey species represent two of the three groupings of simian primates...
s,
rabbitRabbits are small mammals in the family Leporidae of the order Lagomorpha, found in several parts of the world. There are seven different genera in the family classified as rabbits, including the European rabbit , Cottontail rabbit , and the Amami rabbit...
s and
miceA mouse is a small mammal belonging to the order of rodents. The best known mouse species is the common house mouse . It is also a popular pet. The American white-footed mouse and the deer mouse also sometimes live in houses. In some places, certain kinds of field mice are also common...
(on their footpads), are among the few known non-human animal species that can contract the disease systemically. They are particularly susceptible due to their unusually low body temperature, which is hospitable to the leprosy bacterium,
Mycobacterium lepraeMycobacterium leprae, also known as Hansen’s coccus spirilly, mostly found in warm tropical countries, is a bacterium that causes leprosy . It is an intracellular, pleomorphic, acid-fast bacterium. M. leprae is an aerobic rod-shaped surrounded by the characteristic waxy coating unique to...
. (The leprosy bacterium is difficult to culture and armadillos have a body temperature of 34 °C, similar to human skin.)
The
Nine-banded ArmadilloThe Nine-Banded Armadillo , or the nine-banded long-nosed armadillo , is a species of armadillo found in North, Central, and South America, making it the most widespread of the armadillos...
also serves science through its unusual reproductive system, in which four
geneticallyGenetics, , a discipline of biology, is the science of heredity and variation in living organisms. The fact that living things inherit traits from their parents has been used since prehistoric times to improve crop plants and animals through selective breeding...
identical
quadrupletsA multiple birth occurs when more than one fetus is carried to term in a single pregnancy. Different names for multiple births are used, depending on the number of offspring. Common multiples are two and three, known as twins and triplets...
are born in each litter.
Because they are always genetically identical, the group of four young provides a good subject for scientific, behavioral or medical tests that need consistent biological and genetic makeup in the test subjects. This is the only reliable manifestation of
polyembryonyPolyembryony is the phenomenon of two or more embryos developing from a single fertilized egg . Polyembryony occurs regularly in many plants and animals. The nine banded armadillo, for instance, usually gives birth to four identical young...
in the class mammalia, and only exists within the genus
DasypusDasypus is a genus of armadillo in the Dasypodidae family. It is the only genus in the subfamily Dasypodinae and contains the following species:*Nine-banded Armadillo, Dasypus novemcinctus*Seven-banded Armadillo, Dasypus septemcinctus...
and not in all armadillos, as is commonly believed. Other species which display this trait include parasitoid wasps, certain flatworms and various aquatic invertebrates.
Armadillos (mainly
Dasypus) make common roadkill due to their habit of jumping to about
fenderFender is the US English term for the part of an automobile, motorcycle or other vehicle body that frames a wheel well. Its primary purpose is to prevent sand, mud, rocks, and liquids from being thrown into the air by the rotating tire. Fenders are typically rigid and can be damaged by contact with...
height when startled (such as by an oncoming car). Wildlife enthusiasts are using the northward march of the armadillo as an opportunity to educate others about the animals, which can be a burrowing nuisance to property owners and managers.
External links