Going through my National Geographic magazines recently, I stumbled upon an article about armadillos. I thought I knew these “beer-drinking” critters. Turns out, I didn’t. Since my first “Did You Know?” two years ago was an armadillo story, I decided to revisit the subject on this, my website’s second anniversary.

Background

Did you know armadillo means little armored one in Spanish?

The armadillo’s leathery shields or “armor,” hardens with age. It’s this armor that has helped it survive for 55 million years, but not by rolling up in a ball. The leathery shields prevent the nine-banded armadillo—the only armadillo species in the US—from doing this. This popular belief only applies to the three-banded South American armadillo.

• DYK the nine-banded armadillo descends from the order Xenarthra? (Tree slothes and anteaters are the only other living descendants from this order.)
• DYK an extinct descendant of Xenartha, the Holmesina septentrio-nalis, resembled the nine-banded armadillo but was the size of a black bear? It ranged northwards as far as Kansas and North Carolina. (Can you imagine hitting it with your car?)
• DYK some five to ten thousand years ago, all armadillos disappeared from the US?
• DYK armadillos returned to the US, migrating into Southern Texas from Mexico, in 1854? Their northern migration is one of the most rapid spread of mammals in history.

Health & Babies

Armadillos can live for ten years in the wild, as long as they stay away from natural predators (like wolves and wildcats) and humans (especially our roadways). When frightened, they can jump three feet straight up. A fatal mistake when a car is involved. Surprisingly, they can also catch several human diseases. The deadliest, for them, is leprosy.

• DYK armadillos not only catch leprosy from humans but, if infected, can transmit it to humans?
• DYK when armadillos get pregnant, there’s always one egg that splits into four identical embryos? This results in either identical quadruplet male or female pups, although not all may live.
• DYK the armadillo’s gestation period is 20 months because of this delayed embryo development? That puts them in second place for mammals. Elephants have the longest gestation period with a range of 18-22 months.

Food & Habitat

Armadillos like a warm environment. Cold can kill them. They eat insects, especially beetles, ants, termites, and grubs, which they snare with their tongue. Their eyesight isn’t good, but they have a great sense of smell which tells them where to dig to unearth their favorite foods.

• DYK in one year, 1 million armadillos can eat 100,000 metric tons of insects?
• DYK armadillos sleep up to 16 hours per day?

Travel

The most interesting armadillo facts have to do with how armadillos cross bodies of water. Instead of asking: “Why did the armadillo cross the river?” The question should be: “How did the armadillo cross it?” One way is to swim across. Too heavy, you think? Not when they lighten their body weight by gulping in air and inflating their intestines and stomach. And if they’d prefer to walk across rather than swim? That’s easy, too. Did you know armadillos can hold their breath for six minutes? This ability means they can walk right into the water and stroll along the bottom of the river all the way to the other side.

Last Thought

Though armadillos can be tamed and trained, they don’t make good pets. They emit a musky odor and are very active at night when you’re trying to sleep. If that isn’t enough, remember there’s also the chance of catching leprosy.

• DYK only two carousels are known to have an armadillo in their menagerie? One is Houston Zoo’s Wildlife Carousel. (Understandable, considering the armadillo is the official Texas small state mammal.) The other is the Speedwell Conservation Carousel at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo.