Greg Lloyd, age 10, of Montreal, Quebec, Canada for his question:
What are the habits of the armadillo?
The armadillo looks like a small warrior robot, buckled into sturdy armor and all set to do battle with the fiercest foe. But actually he is a shy and gentle character. When faced with an enemy he would much rather flee than fight. His neat armor plating is there to protect him, just in case he gets caught by some hungry meat eater. He uses his sturdy sharp claws to forage for food and to dig his burrow. They become weapons only, when he gets into a very tight corner.
The Spanish found the amazing armadillo in Central and South America. They gave him his name a very suitable name that means the little armor plated one. Actually, the Texas armadillo who lives in the southwestern United States is as big as a house cat. His chunky body is circled with rows of hard plates, somewhat like turtle shell material. Little armor plates also cover his small head, his stubby legs and even his long tapering tail. His donkey type ears do not match the rest of his streamlined, well protected body.
The armadillo is living proof that a creature can survive very successfully without being either super smart or a born warrior. The shy, gentle character avoids conflict whenever he can. Yet his family tree dates back through many millions of years and his assorted cousins still live very comfortable lives in warm regions of the New World, where there are semi arid deserts and dry grasslands. They are classified in the animal order Edentata, the toothless ones. However, the armadillo has more than 20 little peg like teeth loosely attached to his gums.
He dines on grubs, bugs and insects found in the ground. And he digs for his diet at night. During the day he stays out of sight, two to 12 feet down in his earthy burrow. If by chance he is startled during his nightly prowls, he scuttles back down¬stairs as quickly as possible. His sense of smell is very keen, but his hearing and eyesight are rather poor. The timid fellow makes a hurried retreat when he senses a dog or a coyote. His flesh is eaten by certain people of South America.and he has learned to be very suspicious of humans.
The armadillo is an excellent swimmer. He can come to the surface after submerging for as long as six minutes. When he enters the water, he gulps quantities of air. His intestine puffs up like a balloon and acts like a float. Regardless of his shell, the armadillo is a warm blooded mammal. His armor plates are actually modified hairs ¬and some of his cousins have enough fluffy hair to hide their shells.
Mrs. Armadillo bears four remarkable babies and the litter is either all boys or all girls. When a few hours old, the frisky youngsters trot around like little toy piglets with donkey ears and long straight tails. They have soft skins marked with grooves where their armor plates will form later. For two months the little cubes feed on mother's milk. They are fully grown when one year old.