Armadillo
© Andrea Ferriera
There are about 20 different types
(species) of Armadillo, 9 types of Armadillo
live in Paraguay.
Different types of Armadillo can be found in the
southern states of North America (including Florida),
and through Central America to most of South
America.
What habitat do they live in?
Different types of Armadillo live in different habitats.
Some types of Armadillo live
in dry deserts.
Some types of Armadillo live
in rainforest.
Click to see picture
© Kirsty Burgess/WLT
© Alberto Yanosky
Click to see picture
Why are they threatened?
The habitat of many Armadillos is threatened.
Can
you
think
of reasons
might want to hunt
People
hunt
Armadillo
for food,people
or for sport.
Armadillo? Click for the answer
TheClick
Brazilian
Three-banded
ArmadilloArmadillo
is hunted
to learn why
the Brazilian Three-banded
is for
threatened.
food,
and much of its habitat has been destroyed by
farming and mining activities.
The Giant Armadillo is also
hunted for food, and the
forests that this type of
Armadillo lives in are being
chopped down.
© John Burton/WLT
Click to learn why the Giant
Armadillo is threatened.
How do they communicate?
How do youcommunicate
think they communicate?
Armadillos
with each other
Click for answer
using
chemical smells.
Armadillos are almost silent, but they can make
noises such as low grunts or squeals.
What do they eat?
© Chris Knowles
Armadillos
eat
ants
and
termites,
but
What do you
think
they
eat?
Click for answer
sometimes they will also eat plants and bits
of dead animals.
How long do they live?
Armadillos only live for around four years.
How big are they?
Different species of Armadillo are very different sizes.
This Three-banded
Armadillo can be held
with one hand.
© Rebecca Absalom/WLT
The
Armadillo can grow to 57cm long,
ClickNine-banded
to find out more.
and their tail can be between 24 and 45 cm long. The
largest armadillo species, the Giant Armadillo, can
grow up to 100 cm long with a tail that grows 50 cm
long.
What do they look like?
Armour
The armour of an
Armadillo is called a shell
Click
and it is made up of strong
bony plates and covered
with horny scales.
Most Armadillos have strong front
legs with sharp claws for digging.
The
protection
from
predators and
Whyarmour
do youprovides
think Armadillos
need
armour?
means
that the Armadillo does not get hurt moving
Click
through thorny bushes.
© Lee Dingain
Most Armadillos have
Click covering their
armour
bodies, tail, legs and top of
the head.
Tell me about their babies:
Some Armadillos may have as many as 12
babies.
The Nine-banded Armadillo gives birth to four
Click here
to learn(called
about the
babies of
identical
babies
quadruplets).
The babies of
theNine-banded
Nine-banded Armadillo.
the
Armadillo are always identical and
always either all girls or all boys.
© Roberto Pedraza
This Armadillo
was caught on a
camera trap at
night in a forest
in Mexico.
Interesting facts:
The only unprotected area of an Armadillo
Click to find out why Armadillos roll into a ball.
is its tummy. Some Armadillos can roll
into a ball, tucking in their legs and tail, to
protect their tummy.
Armadillos
have
legs
with
sharp
Click
to find out
why strong
Armadillos
have
sharp
claws.
claws to help them dig insects out of the
soil.
The Nine-banded Armadillo can travel
through deep water by inflating its
Click to find out how some Armadillos travel
stomach
with air to make itself float. This
through water.
Armadillo can also hold its breath for
several minutes so that it can cross
smaller streams by walking underwater.
A story from the wild:
Rebecca and Roger from the World Land Trust
were in Paraguay, driving to a field station in the
Chaco-Pantanal (this is an area where dry grassland and
© Alberto Yanosky
swampy wetland habitat meet).
The roads there are made of dirt, not tarmac and they
were very quiet. Suddenly their guide, Pepe, stopped
the car and jumped out. He ran into the bushes by
the side of the road and got down on his knees.
A story from the wild:
Pepe had spotted an Armadillo in the
bushes by the side of the road.
After she had looked at
the Armadillo Rebecca
put it back in the bushes.
© Roger Wilson/WLT
Rebecca had never seen
an Armadillo before, so
Pepe let her hold it. She
said it was very smelly.
© Chris Knowles
If you choose Armadillos as your fundraising focus,
your donation will be used to buy and protect land in
Paraguay.