#3 banded armadillo skin

We also feed them invertebrates, and they love to eat eggs!Įnrichment - We love to let our six banded armadillo roam and explore around the hallway out, you can hear his claws clicking around as he runs up and down the hallway with joy. This enclosure is a large room that gives him plenty of room to run around, piled with small mounds of shavings.ĭiet - They are fed a diet consisting of dry and wet food, and a mixture of fruits and vegetables (shredded sweet potato and diced / shredded apples). These critters prefer open forests, open, grassy areas, and marshes. They can be found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, and Paraguay.

Our six banded armadillo lives in a specialized multi species enclosure with a colony of ring-tailed lemurs. The 3-banded armadillo is the only known species of armadillo that has the ability to roll itself into a complete ball, for protection.

At night time he can be seen scurrying around and moving things around to his liking. We bed his enclosure with small mounds of shavings, simulating an environment that he can use his claws to dig! He loves to rearrange his enclosure all the time! He has a large covered top hide that he sleeps in during the day. Our three banded armadillo lives in the small animal room, in a large sized - open top petter. Housing - We provide a dyad of enclosures for our two armadillos. Once they find a meal, they’ll use their long narrow tongues to lick up the food! Armadillos have poor eyesight, and rely on their keen sense of smell to detect prey. Armadillos can walk under water, holding their breath for a long time, and swiftly dig themselves into. They are omnivorous, feeding on insects, ants, carrion, and plant material. Armadillos use their claws to form burrows, and search for prey. In addition to their scaly armor, armadillos have long front claws, which makes them efficient diggers.

#3 banded armadillo skin

This more flexible armor also allows air to flow into the body between the skin and armor, helping it to stay cool and regulate its body temperature. Armor of the three-banded armadillo is slightly more flexible than of its relatives, allowing for more freedom of movement. The Tolypeutes genus of armadillo including the Brazilian and southern species of three-banded armadillos, has a unique ability to roll up tightly into an almost impenetrable ball.

The underside and legs of an armadillo have no armored protection, rather it’s covered in long coarse hairs. This armor is composed of ossified dermal scutes (bone remodeling by laying new bone material on the skin tissue) which is covered by non overlapping keratinized scales, connected to flexible bands of skin. Physical Description: The three-banded armadillo is the only armadillo that can roll completely into a ball to protect itself from predators and thorny vegetation. Only one species, the nine-banded armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus), is found in the United States. Other names: Southern Three Banded Armadillo. The word Armadillo, in Spanish, means “Little Armored One.” Click HERE for an Armadillo Activity Sheet! Our Current Residents Bandy, Female - Born 2015 (estimate)īandy came to the Zoo in 2016. She often sleeps in one of her many logs, however, loves to search for worms in the morning and late afternoons.Armadillos are most recognizable for their specialized armor that cover their backsides, offering a tough shield against predators. The three-, six-, and nine-banded armadillos are named for the number of movable bands in their armour. This baby has been hand raised as an ambassador and absolutely loves it. They are also equipped with strong claws to tear open ant nests.Īrmadillos have poor eyesight and rely on their exceptional hearing, sensory hairs and sense of smell to detect food and predators. Captive bred 5 month old male Three Banded Armadillo (Tolypeutes tricinctus) Healthy as can be and super hand tame. Like most insect eating animals, armadillos have a long sticky tongue to slurp bugs as quickly as possible. Most animals are unable to bite through this tough material. Its armor is made out of keratin, the same protein in human fingernails. One of the only species of armadillo that can roll into a complete ball to defend itself against predators.