Facts About Armadillos

Armadillos first evolved about fifty millions years ago in the region that is now South America. There are twenty species of armadillos also called ("the little armored one") in existence today. The nine-banded species (Dasypus novemcinctus is the most numerous and the only one found in the United States. They can be found mostly in the southern and mid-eastern states, from North Carolina to central Illinois and as far west as New Mexico. Current reports estimate a population of 30-50 million armadillos in the United States.

The armadillos belong to the order Cingulata, family Dasypodidae. Sloths and anteaters are their closet living relatives. Armadillos (order Cingulata) and Sloths and anteaters (order Pilsa) make up the super-order Xenarthusa. Armadillos have a set of plates called carapace which is made of bony transverse bands, these are covered with tough scales made of skin tissue. This is their armor of protection.

Armadillos are prolific diggers they can burrow tunnels that can be 20 feet long and extend 5 feet underground with up to 12 entrances. Their burrowing habits cause them to be characterized as pests in some regions. These nocturnal mammals spend the daylight hours in their burrows. They do not share their burrows with other adults. Armadillos are khaki to pebbly gray in color, timid, short legged and they move quickly. They can stay under water for up to six minutes.

These mammals are not considered dangerous; however, they should be treated with respect and caution. They will scamper away from danger but they have the capacity to harm people with their strong claws when handled incorrectly. They make loud squeal sounds and their musky odor becomes stronger when they feel endangered.

In Central and South America, armadillo meat is part of the average diet. Their meat was also eaten during the Depression. The taste is similar to fine grained, high quality pork.
Armadillos play an important role in scientific research. Members of the genus Dasypus including the nine-band armadillos give birth to four identical pups and sometimes three or five. However they are always identical, they are from the same egg, share the same placenta during development and they are the same sex.

This production of genetically identical offspring is called polyembryony. This is very valuable to medical researchers in their study regarding identical off-springs in humans. Other types of armadillos like the giant or six banded armadillos only produce one baby per fertilized egg. Armadillos are also helpful in the scientific research of leprosy because these mammals are susceptible to the disease; their body temperature is low and because the microbe that causes leprosy does not grow in laboratory media culture.

These interesting, nocturnal mammals are often hit by cars because they are always on the road hunting for carrion or road kill and they usually jump up in the air when startled. This is no defense against a car. So, when traveling through their territory be on the alert to avoid hitting these fascinating mammals.