13 Facts About Armadillos

Did you know that “Armadillo” means “little armored” in Spanish? Or that the armor of the fascinating animal consists of bone plates covered with keratin? There are about 20 species of tatou, and all of them descend from the South American ancestors. Tatous are also diversified in size, behavior and housing. These and other facts on the tatou are unknown to many people. But, below, we will tell you 13 things that are a pleasure to discover on curious creatures.

For example, the IUCN considers two species of vulnerable tatou and five as almost threatened. Five additional species are deficient in data and are probably threatened. In 2016, scientists divided the largest tatou with a long nose in three distinct species. Scientists have not evaluated these species since the new classification.

Here are 13 interesting facts to know about the strange tatal.

1. A single kind of tattoo is in the United States

Armadillo with nine bands (DASPUS NOVEMCINCT) is the only kind of tattoo that has migrated to North America. It was long limited to the wet subtropical areas of the United States. Now these tatous are as far north as the Nebraska and Illinois. The hottest winters caused by climate change can still extend their scope.

They always give birth to identical young people trained from the splitting of a single fertilized egg. Among the mammals, this reproduction method is unique to nine bands and other Dastypus Tatouds. When surprised, the nine -band tatou jumps from 3 to 4 feet in a row.

2. The three -band Brazilian tatles are Lazarus species

Brazilian three -band armadillos were considered extinct until 1988. Since then, researchers have found small dispersed populations. Animals that are wrongly extinguished are called Lazarus species.

The Brazilian Armadillo with three bands is listed as vulnerable by the IUCN and considered in danger by Brazil. The total population is unknown due to the difficulties of accurately counting this night animal. Much of its habitat is converted into fields of sugar cane and soy. Poaching is another important threat to the species.

3. Giant glyptodontes are the parents who are extinguished from the tatou

The glyptodontes were strongly armored, the size of a dinosaur, the first mammals. In 2016, scientists determined that glyptodontes were a tattoo sub-family that appeared 35 million years ago for the first time. They disappeared towards the end of the last glacial period, while their smaller and more slightly armored parents survived. Humans have chased these two -ton animals for meat. They then created shelters from the bone shell.

4. Tattooes sleep until 16 hours a day

As a nocturnal animals, tatous perform most of the activities – food, eating, searches, mating – at night. During the hours of clarity, they spend until 4 p.m. sleeping, usually in burrows. Tatous rarely share their burrows with other tattoos, although they share them with turtles, snakes and rats. When awake, tattooes spend more time feeding than most mammals. Only two marsupials and the terrestrial squirrels spend more time active to feed.

5. The tattooes have spread the leprosy

Tatous are the only non -human animals to spread leprosy, now called Hansen’s disease. The bacteria that cause the disease thriving due to the bodily temperature of the tatou. Researchers think that Armadillos has acquired Hansen’s disease from 15th century explorers. Humans contract Hansen’s disease, of Armadillo origin by chasing them or eating their meat. In some cases, people are infected by inhaling the fecal spores of the tatou.

6. Only 2 species of tatou are capable of riding in a ball

A common myth is that the tatous curls up in tight balls and move. None actively chooses to move away from predators. The only tattos capable of curling in tight balls are two species belonging to Topeuts gender. These are commonly called Brazilian and southern three-bands. All other tatoule species have too many plates, which makes this flexibility level impossible.

7. The giant tatou is the largest of species

Giant armadillos (Maximus priodontes) are the greatest living tatous, weighing 45 to 130 pounds in the wild. In captivity, they reached 176 pounds. They extend to almost 5.9 feet long, including their tail. Their 8 -inch briefs before mid -inch are the longest claws of all mammals.

The IUCN lists the giant tatou as a vulnerable species. Their main threats are hunting for meat and loss of habitat. In addition, poaching for the illegal trade in pets endangers these giants.

8. The pink fairy tatou is the smallest of species

The pink fairy tatou (Chlamyphorus truncatus) is appointed for its pink armor and size. It measures between 4 and 6 inches in length and weighs approximately 3.5 ounces. In addition to the armor on their backs, they have a vertical rump plate used to pad the burrows.

The species lives in the sandy and brushed meadows of the center of Argentina. The IUCN lists these tatous rarely seen as deficient data, but the indicators suggest that the species can be considered almost threatened. The species is mainly threatened due to the loss of habitat, while the popularity of the animal on social networks has led to an increasing number captured for pets – a situation in which most of them die in eight days.

9. This amadillo shouts to warn the predators

The hairy screaming tatou (Chaetophractus vellerosus) has more than armor as defense. He has a pair of howling lungs. Whenever this species perceives a threat, it emits extremely noisy vocalizations and alarms. The hunters trap this species for its meat and its shell. Despite this harvest, it is one less worrying species on most of its range, covering parts of Bolivia, Paraguay, Chile and Argentina.

10. Pichi is the only species of hibernating tatou

Tatous spend most of their life sleeping, but the Pichi (Zaedyus pichy) Go further by hibernating every winter. After building fat stores and settling in a burrow, the Pichi body temperature goes from 95 degrees to 58 degrees Fahrenheit. These tatous also enter into the daily states of torpor, a type of mini-hibernation.

This species is in the steppe and the patagonia pampas.

11. Some tattoo species are at risk of extinction

While the population of Tatou à nine bands currently thrives, other species are not so lucky. The IUCN lists the Tatou of three Brazilian and giant bands as vulnerable. The Pichi, north of the nose, north, in the south with three bands and species of naked chacoan tail are listed as almost threatened. Five additional species are deficient in data and also also threatened.

Hunting and loss of habitat are the main threats to tatous. The exploitation and deforestation of palm oil plantations, breeding of cattle and other agro-industry factors are the main engines of loss of habitat. Unfortunately, mining has increased due to the copper request to be used in electronics.

12. Tatou shells are used to make musical instruments

Known as Charangos, these 10 -string instruments are an integral part of traditional Andean music in Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador and Peru. While they were once generally made from a tatou -dried shell, contemporary charragos are generally made with wood or sometimes calabas squash.

Tatou shells are also used to make carnival rattle called Mracas. In 2015, it became illegal to own or sell new Armadillo Matracas.

13. Tattooes are good swimmers

Tatous are good swimmers and can hold their breath for 4 to 6 minutes. They walk underwater through the bottom of the streams. When confronted with larger water bodies, they swallow the air to create burst, then a dog’s paddle. This ability to swim allowed them to expand their scope. Tatous crossing the Rio Grande led the tatou to nine bands across the United States during the 20th century.