![]() In all but one species the carapace is nearly hairless. The shield is formed by bands of bone (called the carapace) covered in relatively small, overlapping scales called "scutes". The hair that grows on the sides of their bellies act as additional sensors that allow them to feel their way through burrows.Īrmadillos are the only mammals whose body is covered with hard shell, like a shield. This enables them to sense food and predators from a distance. The underside of the armadillo and parts of its head, tail and feet are not armoured, and is simply covered with soft skin and wiry hair. But armadillos do have a strong sense of smell, and can smell up to 8 in (20 cm) below the ground. Their eyes are small, their eyesight poor, and they do not have color vision. Their teeth grow constantly and are kept in shape through their daily eating and scavenging routines. The teeth are used to grind up insects and plants. Their teeth do not have an enamel coating, which means that they only eat soft food which does not need stronger teeth. Armadillos have 32 teeth, mostly peg-like molars in front and premolars in their cheeks. Marine mammals, like whales, use a similar net of veins and arteries to stop the loss of body heat through the fins.Īrmadillos have long heads with pointy snouts and long, sticky tongues. This also means they will get frostbitten very easily, since they have no way to warm their extremities through blood flow. This means that not much heat actually goes out into the legs and tail, keeping most of the warmth in the body. It is a system of veins and arteries in their legs that allows some warmth to pass into the legs and tail. One way that armadillos conserve energy is through reta mirabila (Latin for “miraculous net”). They have five clawed toes on their hind feet, and three to five toes with heavy digging claws on their fore feet. They dig their burrows with their claws, making only a single corridor the width of the animal's body. They have four very short, strong legs. They use their claws for digging and finding food, as well as for making their homes in burrows. The low body temperature and basal metabolic rates mean that they struggle to keep their bodies warm enough to cope in cold climates. Most armadillos have wiry hair on their stomachs and sides of their bodies.Īrmadillos, in general, have low body temperatures of 33 to 36 ☌ (91 to 97 ☏) and low basal metabolic rates (it is the amount of energy spent by mammals that allows their bodies to still function while at rest) of between 40 to 60%. The top of the head is always covered by a shield of keratin-covered scutes, and the long rat-like tail is covered by bony rings. Their bellies are soft and unprotected by bone, although some species are able to curl into a ball. They have thick armour, called a carapace that covers most of their body. ![]() The species of armadillo alive today range in color from pink or gray to brownish black. The most distinctive features include a greyish-brown oval-shaped body with a long, tapering tail long head with a pointy snout and small black eyes on either side hard, armor-like shell (carapace) with distinct band-shaped breaks around the center and four short legs with long claws designed for digging. Armadillos are closely related to anteaters and sloths.
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