Interesting facts about armadillos

• Interesting facts about armadillos

Armadillo (Latin Dasypodidae.) - a family of mammalian armadillo squad. They live in Central and South America.

There are now 20 species of armadillo, united in 8 genera

Build from armadillos squat, heavy. The body length of 12, 5 (frilled armadilloes) to 100 cm (giant armadillo); weight of from 90 g to 60 kg. Tail length from 2, 5 to 50 cm.

The name of armadillos received in honor of the conquistadors - Spanish warriors, forged in steel armor.

In the Pleistocene in South and Central America was inhabited glyptodon - giant relatives of the modern armadillo. Its size and dimensions glyptodon like a "Volkswagen" Beetle ""

The body length of ancestors battleships reached 3 meters. Of their shell, the indigenous people of South America, were making roofs for huts. The result was a kind of durable tiles. Today, giant armadillos weigh about 32 kg and reach half a meter in length, while the smallest armadillo frilled - often does not exceed 15 cm in length.

Armadillos are objects of hunting. Their white meat, the taste is similar to pork, since ancient times is considered a delicacy in the Latin American peoples. Armadillo shells go for souvenirs and musical instruments like the charango. These animals, despite the fact that digging up the ground in search of food, spoil the crops, and bring a lot of benefits, destroying harmful insects and their larvae.

The most common type of armadillo - nine-banded armadillo. For one sitting they can eat about 40 thousand ants

Frequently battleships at night car knocked. Thus dasypus ruining reflex podprygivaniya- when frightened the beast nearly vertical jumps and hits a moving vehicle chassis.

dasypus are of great interest for science in that they are usually born 4 identical twins. Due to the complete identity of a group of four armadillo is a great facility for medical, genetic, psychological and other studies requiring uniform composition tested.

On the ground among unrelated people only armadillos mammals and mice infected with leprosy.

Infection, likely contributes armadillo low body temperature (32 degrees Celsius), is favorable for Hansen bacillus (Mycobacterium leprae).

In stressful situations, females armadillos may suspend deliveries for two years.

pink fairy armadillo or Argentine schitonosets, also called "Pichis" or pink armadillo - kind of armadillo family Chlamyphoridae

In stressful situations, the battleship rolled into a ball and pretends to be a stone in order to deceive his enemies

big hairy armadillo

None of the families of mammalian no such volatile number of teeth - from 28 to 40 (the giant armadillo - 90-100). The number of teeth varies not only in different species, but also in different individuals.