Armadillo 454
Add to LightboxA nine-banded armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus) is standing up in a park, Georgia, USA. Armadillos are unusual mammals because of their boney body plates. They are widespread, living in warm areas of North, Central, and South America. They weigh 5.5 -14 pounds. Their skin plates, or scales (osteoderms), protect them from predators when they curl up like a ball. The plates are made of solid bone which grow directly out of these animals' vertebrae. Armadillos are most closely related to sloths and anteaters. They are able to float well. They are nocturnal. They eat ants with a long tongue but are omnivores eating only invertebrates. They live 10 -15 years. They typically give birth to four genetically identical offspring. Their slow and low body temperature makes them especially susceptible to the bacterium that causes leprosy, which they first contracted from humans, the Spanish conquistadors.
- Filename
- ©Janet MacCausland'12 454_Armadillo-SharpenAI-Motion.tif
- Copyright
- Janet MacCausland
- Image Size
- 7360x4912 / 272.6MB
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- Contained in galleries
- Mammals (see also Hoofed, Marine Mammals or Bear Destinations.)