Armadillos report ______________________________________________________The Armadillos have a really special diet that is called insectivores which means that these animals are bug eaters. The bugs that they would love to eat are ants, beetles, termites, worms, grubs, and some other small animals and they can also eat eggs to. The other foods that these animals will eat are snakes, spiders and they can also eat frogs. The other food that this animal will eat is fruit to. Most of the armadillos diet is usually made for eating insects and invertebrates. The other foods that they will eat are eggs and small animals. These animals can also be seen eating carrion. The armadillo will court on their sense of smell to find out where their next tasty meal. When the food is underground then the use their very long front claws so that they can dig it up. That is why lots of people call these animals’ pests. People call the armadillo a pest because they can dig into people’s yards because the armadillo is looking for bugs the other reason why people do not like this because these animals are destroying their crops and their plants. The diet of the armadillo is really much the dependent on the areas that have inhabits in it. The armadillo can e found in the south of the North America and in Mexico. They can also be found in Central America and in South America to. The habitats that they live in are on he prairie on the savanna and on the wetlands. The armadillo can be found in both Americas. These animals can also live in East Andes that are from Northwest Venezuela to the Northeast Argentina. The habitats that the armadillo lives in are in burrows that can be found near any water that is in grassland areas. These animals can also live in brush lands in woodlands and they can also live in forest habitats. They can also be found on the very warm grasslands and on the forests of South America that is in the South of the United States. The other habitats that these animals can be found on are on the Savannah, pampas. They can also live on grasslands and they will live in really small forest areas. These animals can be found on the state of Texas. They can also be seen near the Amazon River that is found in South America. They can also be found in the far north of Kansas. The other habitats that they live are on sandy soils and they can also be found on grasslands, woodlands, wetlands and they can also be found in areas that are thorny scrubs. The size of an armadillo is 6 to 60 inches (15 -152 cm) long. The body length of the giant armadillo can grow over 3 to 5 inches (8 to 12 centimeters). The giant armadillo can weigh about

132 pounds. The lightest armadillo which is the pink fairy armadillo can weigh about 8 ounces (85 grams). The normal size of the armadillo can be around 75cm in a length this also includes the tail of the giant armadillo that can grow about 1.5m long and the pink fairy armadillo ( Which are the smallest species )can only grow about 10cm in a length. The normal size for the armadillo is 5 to 59 in (13 to 150 cm). The weight of the armadillo is 3oz to 120 lbs (85 g to 54 kg). The head and the body of the giant armadillos can measure about 30-40 inches long and their tails can grow about 20 inches. The armadillos can grow about 130 pounds. They can weigh about 40 to 70 pounds. The average size of an armadillo is 12-60in (30-150 cm). The biggest armadillo is the giant armadillo and it can grow over 5 feet long and the smallest species of armadillo is the pink fairy armadillo they can grow over 6 inches long. When the armadillo is in captivity then it can live until it is 12 to 15 years old. They can live about 4 to 30 years it really depends on the kind of species. The Giant armadillo can live about 12 to 15 years. There are 20 species of armadillos that live in the Americas but they most live in central or in South America. There is only one species of armadillo that can be seen in the United States and that is the nine banded armadillo that is because of their body size and their food source of this animal is varies. So each species has there own home range and their very own habitat to. The species of the armadillo that are usually called the giant armadillo, nine-banded armadillo, the large hairy armadillo, northern naked-tailed armadillo and the pichi. The giant armadillo is known to be the biggest species of the armadillo species. These armadillos can weigh more than 60 pounds. The giant armadillo can be found near the Amazon River that is located in South America. The armadillo does not have a very good eye sight but that does not mean that they are blind. There poor eye sight makes these animals really vulnerable in its jungle environment. The armadillo’s amour is made by the plates that can be found on their bones that is covered in the normal small overlapping scales. The scales of the armadillo are really known for as scutes. These scutes are made out of bones that are covering their horns. The armor skin will appear they will use this when they need to. This works for a defense for so many different types of armadillos but their are some species of armadillos will rather flee from predators (meaning they will run or start to dig away when there is a predator somewhere in the area. Then to rely on their armor to protect them from getting eaten. They may have poor eye

sight but they have a amazing good sense of smell. They usually use this sense for hunting then their sight. These animals also have really strong legs and very big claws they are used for digging and they also have a very long sticky tongue that is used for eating ants and termites from their tunnels from where these bugs lives in. The armadillo's hard shell is really simply modified skin that can be serve this is an unusually way for these animals to protect them selves from predators. When these animals that there is danger near then they will usually run, dig or they can also press their bodies down into the dirt so that they can keep from getting flipping over. The only species that can turn into a ball is the armadillo that is called the three banded armadillo this is the only armadillo that can do this track. They will usually turn into a ball so that they can be protected from predators. The three banded armadillo it will teardrop-shaped their head so that they can seal the opening so that there will not be any chinks that can be found in the armadillos armor. The armadillo is also an amazing runner it can run about 30 mph. They need their running skills so that their predators will have a really hard time catching them. The predators that armadillo face are bears, wolves, wildcats and cougars. The other predators that they also face are domestic dogs, birds of prey and also humans are also predators to these animals. There are so many different types of species of armadillo that can sleep over 16 hours per day. When morning comes that is the time when they go out to hunt for food. The Armadillos close relative is the anteater and the sloth. Armadillos do to live in a group or in a family that means that they are solitary animals. That means that they live alone. On the armadillo there is a amour that is covering the top of its head. The upper part is the limbs and their tail. The underside of the armadillo does not have any amour in that part they have a very soft skin and fur in that part of the armadillo. These animals are nocturnal creatures that mean that they are active at night and then they will sleep during the day. These animals are really powerful and they are really fast diggers. The giant armadillos can dig burrows where they have travel through and where they have lived in. In their burrows they will also dig for food and also to escape for any predators. The breeding season for the armadillo is really depends on the species. There are some species that can make a baby all year long. The gestation period is around two to five months. The Armadillo does not from a a close bond with their partner after the babies are born then the male will not help with mother with taking care of the babies. A

baby armadillo is called a pup. A female can have as one or four pups that will make a litter of armadillos. When the baby is born then their shell will start to be soft and it will also be grey and it will also feel like it is leather. The shell will start to be hard in about a few days. The mother will start to nurse her young when they are between two or four months of age. The baby will start to reach maturity when they are about 9 or 12 months of age. After the gestation period which is four months. The females will start to give birth to one or two babies. The newborn armadillos have a really leathery skin. The babies can weigh about four pounds when they are born. A female armadillo will normally give birth to four young. After they are born and the gestation period is over which is 3 to 4 months. The pups will only be feed by milk from their mother. Then after that is done then they will start to forage with their mother. The pups will start to leave their mother when they reach six months in a year. There are some species of armadillo that are really well known to give birth every single year so that means that a single mother will have to produce up to 56 young which is the over course of her life. There are a lot of armadillos that can give birth to one or two babies. But the Nine-Banded Armadillo always has identical quadruplets (that means that these animals can have 4 babies that can come out of one egg). The gestation period for the armadillo is 60 to 150 days it really depends on the type species. The Armadillo can have the total of 1 to 12 pups that will make a litter. It really depends on the species. The Armadillo will normally will reach maturity when they are 9 to 12 months old. Lots of people have loved the armadillo in so many different ways. Lots people usually call them pests and they can also be called exterminators. People call these animals these names because the people want to get rid of them because they are destroying their gardens. The other threats to these animals are cars because they are getting run over by them because when they are crossing the roads when they are looking for food or even looking for a new place to live. The other reason why people are hurting these animals because people are killing them so that they can eat them. They will also use their shells for novelties like a purse. The other main threats to these animals are habitat destruction. That means that there is not a enough space for armadillo to live because their habitats are being cut down when that happens then these animals will have a really hard time looking for food so that they can stay alive but that is a problem because when the human population grows then

less space is build for armadillos. There lands are being taken away. All species of armadillo except for the nine banded armadillo their are starting to decrease in their population. The giant armadillo is being threatened because of over hunting and of loss of habitat that is because human settlement and agricultural development. The numbers in their population in all the species of armadillo are all threatened with loss of habitat and over hunting. There are lots of different cultures that have been told about this animal that is in the Americas consume armadillo flesh. People have said to resemble pork in their flavor and texture but currently there is only the nine-band population that is expanding that is some of the species that also includes the pink fairy armadillo that is also being threatened with these threats to. The armadillos that live in the Amazon River that is located in South America but they are endangered because of their range is due to hunting and habitat loss but the other species of the armadillo is has not been discovered yet. That is what I know about the Armadillo.