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The Nine
Banded Armadillo–A Prehistoric Descendent Florida's dilemma The name armadillo is derived from the diminutive of the Spanish word armado, one that is armed. They flourished in Florida after they arrived from Mexico in the 1920's. They are nocturnal and begin their nightly excursions at dusk, although, sometimes they venture out during daylight if hungry. Crossing streams or rivers is not an obstacle as they will swallow as much air as possible to blow up their intestines, thus making themselves more buoyant. That little rascal has a habit of digging burrows to live in during daylight hours. As many as a dozen burrows are dug with their very long and sharp front claws, and the burrows may be shared by one or two armadillos of the same sex. What a mess for farmers to find a dozen or more holes dotting his field of corn or cauliflower. They have the audacity to build in garden areas around human dwellings. They have no fear of a human's presence. Wow! Are they weird
They are the strangest looking animals with a prehistoric appearance.
Small bony plates form the basis of the armadillo's armor.
A large bony carapace protects its head and front part of its body, while another carapace
protects the rear end of its body. There are nine traverse bands of plates minutely
separated by soft skin. This allows the armadillo to flex its body while hunting or
running if badgered by a predator. Rather than fight, the nine banded armadillo will
run for one of its burrows. They are somewhat like a gopher tortoise; they turn their
shell or back to the outside of their burrow, which prevents most predators from
biting their back and pulling them out of the hole.I'm not kidding, it's the
rule of thumb
They mate in July and August. The female, being very amorous, will lie on her back as
the male performs his courtship ritual. Only one egg is fertilized and, believe it or not,
splits into four embryos attached by umbilical cords. Four identical babies of the same sex
are born, depending on the egg produced by the lady love. The quadruplets are born with their
eyes open and are soft and cuddly until the body armor gradually becomes hard and slippery.People love armadillo meat
Wherever you find the stamping grounds for armadillos you will find
their flesh is relished. In some areas the flesh is cooked in the shell of the animal and
eaten as a delicacy. Isn't it strange, the meat is eaten by humans and yet what does a armadillo
eat: They have small teeth designed to eat softer foods like, insects, maggots, decaying carcasses,
dead snakes, lizards and vegetable matter. When searching for food they sometimes rely on what their
long, sticky, surfaced tongue will find as the food for the day. 
Bodies and tails
In some locations of the world the body armor is fashioned into
a basket, by bending the tail and fastening it to the mouth, thus forming a handle.
Unique isn't it, yet somehow bizarre. At times I have thought that profit out weighs
the methods used to exploit natures creatures. The armadillo may be ugly, but why don't
we just love them in nature and leave them?
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