Some are killed by farmers because they are thought to damage crops. Giant armadillos have suffered from loss of habitat due to agricultural development and human settlement, and they are also overhunted by humans for food. The young armadillos are born with tough leathery skin to protect them from dangerous predators. Females give birth to one to two young after a gestation period of 120 days. Other armadillo species are known to pair up during mating season and share a burrow. Little is known about the mating behavior of this species. Giant armadillos can consume entire termite mound populations once discovered. Preferred diet is ants and termites, but they will also eat other insects, worms, spiders, larvae, snakes, and carrion. They are very powerful and quick diggers enabling them to find insects and escape predators by hiding in the ground. They are active mainly at night and prefer to sleep in the daytime. It is believed that they are very good swimmers. Giant armadillos prefer to live in burrows near water in grassland, brushland, woodland, and forests where termite mounds are present. Giant armadillos are very fast on the ground and can sometimes balance themselves on their hind legs and tails, with their forefeet off the ground. It has powerful claws with a very large central claw similar to the claw of the giant anteater. Underneath the carapace, its naked body appears wrinkly and pinkish in color. The head, tail and lower edges of the giant armadillo are nearly white, and the rest of the body is dark brown. Their heads are also covered with a similar oval shield. The necks and backs of armadillos are covered with flexible carapaces (shells) consisting of 14 to 17 moveable bands of horn and bone. Adults grow as long as 35 inches and can weigh over 70 lb. The kits are born fully developed and it will take several weeks for their pink leathery skin to be ossified into armor.The giant armadillo is the largest of all armadillos and found in South America, east of the Andes, from northwestern Venezuela to northeastern Argentina. This single egg then divides into genetically identical quadruplets that are born four months later. Armadillos have delayed implantation, and after mating in July the fertilized egg remains dormant until November. They are good swimmers and can even hold their breath for up to six minutes. Their diet consists of insects, small animals, bird eggs, and roots.They can eat 40,000 ants in one feeding and are one of the few animals to consume fire ants.Armadillos use their claws for digging, and finding food, as well as for making their homes in burrows.Īrmadillos have poor vision. The armadillo’s armor plating is made up of actual bones, making them rather inflexible. Their armor-like skin appears to be their main defense, However, many armadillos escape predators by fleeing (often into thorny patches, from which their armor protects them) or digging to safety. The armadillo, in fact, is the state small mammal of Texas.Their life span is usually 12 to 15 years. In the United States the sole resident armadillo is the nine banded armadillo.Their range is as far east as South Carolina and Florida, and as far north as North Dakota, but is most common in the central southernmost states particularly Texas.
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