by Mark Murphy

Created on: March 03, 2008

Most Americans are familiar with the Nine-banded Armadillo. Did you know that there are over 19 other extant species of armadillo as well? This article will give brief overview of the general characteristics of all armadillos then a breakdown of the different types. After reading this, I'm sure you'll find the armadillo as fascinating as I do.

Armadillos are known for their hard, bony shell, called "scutes". As a matter of fact, their name means, "little armored one" in Spanish. Only the top and sides of the animal are armored. Their underbellies are covered with skin and fur. Early German settlers to the Southwestern United States called them "Panzerschwein" or "armored pig". In the late 1920s and 1930s, folks called armadillos the "Hoover Hog", in reference to President Hoover's "Chicken in Every Pot" speech. They aren't related to the pig in any way, however. Armadillos are in the Xenartha order, the same as sloths and anteaters. They are in the order Cingulata, in the family Dasyodidae.

All armadillos have short, strong legs with sharp claws for digging. Their diets consist mainly of insects. They will occasionally eat vegetation and even bits of meat from carcasses although they generally do not hunt anything other than invertebrates. To avoid danger, armadillos depend of their quick speed and ability to burrow. They also have the ability to inflate itself with air in order to cross small bodies of water such as rivers. These animals have low body temperatures, making them excellent hosts for leprosy.

The species is known for its poor vision but makes up for this with good senses of hearing and smell. Their burrows consist of a small tunnel in which the snugly tuck themselves into. Every armadillo has between three and five toes on their front feet and five on their back feet. They are solitary animals and rarely share their dens with others of their species. All armadillos are native to the Americas.

All armadillos have peg-shaped teeth that lack an enamel shell. They don't seem to be able to store much fat, making them very susceptible to colder climates. Now that you know a little about most of the common traits the different species share, let's look at the different sub-families and what makes them unique.

The first sub-family we'll look at is the nine-banded or Long-nosed Armadillos. There are six recognized species in this group, including the nine-banded armadillo, the great long-nosed armadillo, the hairy long-nosed armadillo, the Llanos long-nosed

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