Basic Information
Armadillos are the only mammals (warm-blooded animals that feed milk to their babies) completely covered in armor made of bony plates!
Armadillos - Facts for Kids
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Facts About Armadillos For Kids
The word “armadillo” comes from Spanish and means “little armored one”!
People sometimes call a group of armadillos a ‘roll,’ but it’s just a fun nickname — most armadillos can’t roll up, and only the three-banded kind can curl into a ball!
There are about 20 or 21 different types of armadillos alive today!
The nine-banded armadillo is the only type naturally found in the United States!
The smallest armadillo type is the pink fairy armadillo, which is only 4–6 inches long — just like a small hamster!
The giant armadillo is the largest armadillo ever — it usually grows to about 4 to 5 feet long, including its tail!
In one special species — the Andean hairy armadillo — a male is called a “lister” and a female is called a “zed!”
Baby armadillos are called pups!
In the wild, most armadillos live around 8–12 years — though some special types can reach up to about 20 years!
In captivity (when kept safe by people), armadillos can live up to 20 years — and some have even made it to 23 years old!
The nine-banded armadillo always gives birth to identical quadruplets (four babies that look exactly the same)!
Armadillos have been around for over 50 million years!
Early armadillos were small, but over time their cousins — like the glyptodonts — grew as big as a car and weighed as much as a rhino!
Armadillos are classified (put into groups) as mammals in the order Cingulata!
Unlike most mammals, armadillos have very low body temperatures (how hot their bodies are), usually around 93°F (about 34 °C)!
The science name for the nine-banded armadillo is Dasypus novemcinctus!
The name “armadillo” was first used by Spanish scholars in the 1500s!
Physical Characteristics (Body Features)
An armadillo’s armor is made of bony plates called osteoderms, covered by tough scales called scutes, arranged in shields and flexible bands!
The nine-banded armadillo can jump up to 4 feet (1.22 m) straight up in the air when startled (scared)!
Armadillos can’t see very well, but they have a super sniffer — a strong sense of smell that helps them find food underground!
An adult nine-banded armadillo weighs between 8–17 pounds, about the same as a house cat!
Armadillos have tiny, peg-like teeth with no enamel coating (hard outer layer)!
For most armadillos, the tail is covered in hard armor plates — just like their back and head — so they stay well-protected from tip to tail!
Armadillos have anywhere from about 28 to 100 small, peg-shaped teeth. The giant armadillo tops the list with 80 to 100 teeth — more than almost any other mammal!
The three-banded armadillo is the only type that can roll into a complete ball by tucking in their head, feet, and tail — like a tiny armored superhero!
Armadillos have long, strong claws perfect for digging. And the giant armadillo? Its middle front claws can stretch up to 8 inches — like built-in mini shovels!
Armadillos wear armor made of bony plates covered with keratin — the same strong stuff our fingernails are made of!
Armadillos can have 4 to 5 toes on each foot, depending on the type!
The giant armadillo can have claws that are longer than a pencil!
Armadillos have small, grain-sized bones under their armor called osteoderms (tiny bone pieces)!
Armadillos have long, sticky tongues — just right for gobbling up ants and termites!
Armadillos have very small, rice-grain-sized eyes!
The pink fairy armadillo wears a super-thin, bendy shell — so soft and flexible that it’s more like a temperature-control cape than heavy armor!
The giant armadillo’s armor weighs about 15% of its total body weight!
Behavior & Intelligence (How They Act)
Armadillos are mostly nocturnal (active at night), spending about 16 hours each day sleeping!
Armadillos can hold their breath for up to 6 minutes while swimming!
When swimming, armadillos can inflate (fill with air) their intestines (stomach tubes) with air to help them float!
Armadillos are super diggers! One armadillo usually makes around ten hide-outs — and sometimes even twelve — in its home area!
A single armadillo can dig a burrow up to 15 feet long and 7–8 inches wide, sometimes in just one night!
Armadillos sniff out insects buried up to 8 inches (20 cm) deep in the ground and lap them up with a long, sticky tongue!
Armadillos spend most of their time when they’re awake hunting for snacks — nearly 8 or 9 out of every 10 minutes looking for food!
Armadillos whisper little grunts when they’re eating or calling their babies — and sometimes make louder pig-like squeals if they get scared!
Baby armadillos start following their mother outside the burrow at just 2–3 weeks old!
Armadillos use their super noses to smell scent markers around their home and know when they’re in their own territory.
Armadillos rub their shells against trees, rocks, and other objects as they move around or leave their scent!
When danger appears, three-banded armadillos curl up into a tight ball, hiding every softer part of their body inside their hard shell!
Armadillos leave special smells from little glands on their faces, feet, and tail to say, “This is my neighborhood!”
Armadillos can climb short distances and even walk along the bottom of ponds!
