View source for Biology:Armadillo

{{Short description|New World placental mammals in the order Cingulata}}
{{pp-semi-indef}}
{{Paraphyletic group
| auto = yes
| fossil_range = {{Fossil range|58.7|0}}<small>Late [[Earth:Paleocene|Paleocene]] – Recent</small>
| image = Cingulata2.jpg
| image_caption = 
| image2 = Pink Fairy Armadillo (Chlamyphorus truncatus) (cropped).jpg
| image2_caption = From top to bottom {{extinct}}''[[Biology:Glyptodon|Glyptodon]]'', [[Biology:Nine-banded armadillo|nine-banded armadillo]] (''Dasypus novemcinctus)'', [[Biology:Pink fairy armadillo|pink fairy armadillo]] (''Chlamyphorus truncatus'')
| parent = Cingulata
| subdivision_ranks = Families
| subdivision = *[[Biology:Chlamyphoridae|Chlamyphoridae]]
**[[Biology:Chlamyphorinae|Chlamyphorinae]]
**[[Biology:Euphractinae|Euphractinae]]
**[[Biology:Tolypeutinae|Tolypeutinae]]
**{{extinct}}Glyptodontinae
*[[Biology:Dasypodidae|Dasypodidae]]
}}
[[File:Nine-banded armadillo skeleton.jpg|thumb|Nine-banded armadillo skeleton.]]
[[File:Three Banded Armadillo.jpg|thumb|[[Biology:Tolypeutes|Three-banded armadillo]] skeleton on display at the Museum of Osteology]]

'''Armadillos''' (meaning "little armored ones" in [[Social:Spanish language|Spanish]]) are [[Earth:New World|New World]] placental [[Biology:Mammal|mammal]]s in the [[Biology:Order|order]] [[Biology:Cingulata|Cingulata]]. They form part of the superorder [[Biology:Xenarthra|Xenarthra]], along with the [[Biology:Anteater|anteater]]s and [[Biology:Sloth|sloth]]s. 21 extant [[Biology:Species|species]] of armadillo have been described, some of which are distinguished by the number of bands on their armor. All species are native to the [[Earth:Americas|Americas]], where they inhabit a variety of different environments. 
 
Living armadillos are characterized by a leathery [[Biology:Armour (anatomy)|armor]] shell and long, sharp claws for digging. They have short legs, but can move quite quickly. The average length of an armadillo is about {{convert|75|cm|in|abbr=on}}, including its tail. The [[Biology:Giant armadillo|giant armadillo]] grows up to {{convert|150|cm|in|abbr=on}} and weighs up to {{convert|54|kg|lb|abbr=on}}, while the [[Biology:Pink fairy armadillo|pink fairy armadillo]] has a length of only {{convert|13|–|15|cm|in|sigfig=1|abbr=on}}. When threatened by a predator, ''[[Biology:Tolypeutes|Tolypeutes]]'' species frequently roll up into a ball; they are the only species of armadillo capable of this.

Recent genetic research has shown that the [[Biology:Megafauna|megafauna]]l [[Biology:Glyptodont|glyptodont]]s (up to {{Convert|1.5|m|ft}} tall with maximum body masses of around 2 tonnes), which became extinct around 12,000 years ago are true armadillos more closely related to all other living armadillos than to ''[[Biology:Dasypus|Dasypus]]'' (the long-nosed or naked-tailed armadillos). Armadillos are currently classified into two families, [[Biology:Dasypodidae|Dasypodidae]], with ''Dasypus'' as the only living genus, and [[Biology:Chlamyphoridae|Chlamyphoridae]], which contains all other living armadillos as well as the glyptodonts.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Mitchell |first1=Kieren J. |last2=Scanferla |first2=Agustin |last3=Soibelzon |first3=Esteban |last4=Bonini |first4=Ricardo |last5=Ochoa |first5=Javier |last6=Cooper |first6=Alan |date=July 2016 |title=Ancient DNA from the extinct South American giant glyptodont Doedicurus sp. (Xenarthra: Glyptodontidae) reveals that glyptodonts evolved from Eocene armadillos |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/mec.13695 |journal=Molecular Ecology |language=en |volume=25 |issue=14 |pages=3499–3508 |doi=10.1111/mec.13695 |bibcode=2016MolEc..25.3499M |s2cid=3720645 |issn=0962-1083}}</ref>

==Etymology==
The word ''armadillo'' means "little armored one" in Spanish;<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://dle.rae.es/armadillo|title=armadillo, armadilla &#124; Definición &#124; Diccionario de la lengua española &#124; RAE - ASALE|accessdate=4 April 2023|archive-date=30 March 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230330112612/https://dle.rae.es/armadillo|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=armadillo {{!}} Etymology, origin and meaning of armadillo by etymonline |url=https://www.etymonline.com/word/armadillo |access-date=2023-03-28 |website=www.etymonline.com |language=en |archive-date=28 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230328122727/https://www.etymonline.com/word/armadillo |url-status=live }}</ref> it is derived from "armadura" (armor), with the diminutive suffix "-illo" attached. While the phrase "little armored one" would translate to "armadito" normally, the suffix "-illo" can be used in place of "-ito" when the diminutive is used in an approximative tense.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Bourne |first1=Julián |last2=Díaz Dueñas |first2=Mercedes |title=The Use of the Diminutive Suffixes ''-ito/a'' and ''-illo/a'' in the Spanish Translation of ''The Fifth Child'' by Doris Lessing |journal=Hikma |date=2019 |volume=18 |issue=1 |pages=113–180 |publisher=University of Córdoba Press |doi=10.21071/hikma.v18i1.11197 |hdl=10396/19475 |s2cid=194628023 |language=en |issn=1579-9794|doi-access=free |hdl-access=free }}</ref> The Aztecs called them ''āyōtōchtli'' {{IPA-nah|aːjoːˈtoːt͡ʃt͡ɬi|}}, [[Social:Nahuatl|Nahuatl]] for "turtle-rabbit": ''āyōtl'' {{IPA-nah|ˈaːjoːt͡ɬ|}} (turtle) and ''tōchtli'' {{IPA-nah|ˈtoːt͡ʃt͡ɬi|}} (rabbit).<ref name=Karttunen1983>{{cite book |last=Karttunen |first=Frances E. |title=An Analytical Dictionary of Nahuatl |url=https://archive.org/details/analyticaldictio00kart |url-access=limited |year=1983 |publisher=University of Oklahoma Press |isbn=978-0-8061-2421-6 |page=[https://archive.org/details/analyticaldictio00kart/page/n25 17] }} View entry at [http://whp.uoregon.edu/dictionaries/nahuatl/index.lasso?&dowhat=FindJustOne&theRecID=1763926&theWord=ayotoch. "ayotoch"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304210527/http://whp.uoregon.edu/dictionaries/nahuatl/index.lasso?&dowhat=FindJustOne&theRecID=1763926&theWord=ayotoch. |date=4 March 2016 }} in ''Nahuatl Dictionary'', by the Wired Humanities Projects, Stephanie Wood (ed.) Retrieved 2015-07-22.</ref> The [[Social:Portuguese language|Portuguese]] word for "armadillo" is ''tatu'' which is derived from the [[Social:Tupi language|Tupi language]]<ref>FERREIRA, A.B.H. ''Novo Dicionário da Língua Portuguesa''. Segunda edição. Rio de Janeiro: Nova Fronteira, 1986. p. 1 653</ref> ''ta''' "bark, armor" and ''tu'' "dense";<ref>{{cite book|last=Chiaradia|first=Clóvis|title=Dicionário de Palavras Brasileiras de Origem Indígena|publisher=Limiar|isbn=9788588075337|year=2008|location=São Paulo}}</ref> and used in Argentina, Bolivia, Brasil, Paraguay and Uruguay; similar names are also found in other, especially European, languages.

Other various vernacular names given are:
{{div col}}
* ''quirquincho'' (from {{lang-qu|kirkinchu}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://dle.rae.es/quirquincho|title=quirquincho|access-date=27 Jan 2023|publisher=Real Academia Española|website=Diccionario de la lengua española|archive-date=7 March 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230307041218/https://dle.rae.es/quirquincho|url-status=live}}</ref>) in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia and Peru;
* ''cuzuco'' (from [[Social:Nahuatl|Nahuatl]]) in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua;
* ''mulita'' in Argentina and Uruguay;
* ''peludo'' in Argentina, Chile, Colombia and Uruguay;
* ''piche'' in Argentina, Brasil, Chile, Colombia and Paraguay;
* ''cachicamo'' in Colombia and Venezuela
* ''gurre'' in Tolima, Caldas and Antioquia, Colombia;
* ''jerre-jerre'' in Caribbean Colombia;
* ''jueche'' in southeast Mexico;
* ''toche'' in the state of Veracruz, Mexico;
* ''carachupa'' in Perú. 
{{div col end}}

==Classification==
'''Family [[Biology:Dasypus|Dasypodidae]]'''
* Subfamily [[Biology:Dasypus|Dasypodinae]]
** Genus ''[[Biology:Dasypus|Dasypus]]'' [[File:TatusorGuineanBeast.jpg|thumb|right|1658 woodcut of an armadillo]]
***[[Biology:Nine-banded armadillo|Nine-banded armadillo]] or long-nosed armadillo, ''Dasypus novemcinctus''
***[[Biology:Seven-banded armadillo|Seven-banded armadillo]], ''Dasypus septemcinctus''
***[[Biology:Southern long-nosed armadillo|Southern long-nosed armadillo]], ''Dasypus hybridus''
***[[Biology:Llanos long-nosed armadillo|Llanos long-nosed armadillo]], ''Dasypus sabanicola''
***[[Biology:Greater long-nosed armadillo|Greater long-nosed armadillo]], ''Dasypus kappleri''
***[[Biology:Hairy long-nosed armadillo|Hairy long-nosed armadillo]], ''Dasypus pilosus''
***[[Biology:Yepes's mulita|Yepes's mulita]], ''Dasypus yepesi''
***†Beautiful armadillo, ''[[Biology:Dasypus bellus|Dasypus bellus]]''
***†''[[Biology:Dasypus neogaeus|Dasypus neogaeus]]''
** Genus †''[[Biology:Stegotherium|Stegotherium]]''

'''Family [[Biology:Chlamyphoridae|Chlamyphoridae]]'''
* Subfamily [[Biology:Chlamyphorinae|Chlamyphorinae]]
** Genus ''[[Biology:Calyptophractus|Calyptophractus]]''
*** [[Biology:Greater fairy armadillo|Greater fairy armadillo]], ''Calyptophractus retusus''
** Genus ''[[Biology:Chlamyphorus|Chlamyphorus]]''
***[[Biology:Pink fairy armadillo|Pink fairy armadillo]], ''Chlamyphorus truncatus''
* Subfamily [[Biology:Euphractinae|Euphractinae]]
** Genus ''[[Biology:Chaetophractus|Chaetophractus]]'' [[File:Chaetophractus vellerosus3.jpg|thumb|right|Screaming hairy armadillo]]
***[[Biology:Screaming hairy armadillo|Screaming hairy armadillo]], ''Chaetophractus vellerosus''
***[[Biology:Big hairy armadillo|Big hairy armadillo]], ''Chaetophractus villosus''
***[[Biology:Andean hairy armadillo|Andean hairy armadillo]], ''Chaetophractus nationi''
**Genus †''[[Biology:Macroeuphractus|Macroeuphractus]]''
**Genus †''Paleuphractus''
**Genus †''[[Biology:Proeuphractus|Proeuphractus]]''
**Genus †''Doellotatus''
**Genus †''[[Biology:Peltephilus|Peltephilus]]''
*** †Horned armadillo, ''Peltephilus ferox''
** Genus ''[[Biology:Euphractus|Euphractus]]''
***[[Biology:Six-banded armadillo|Six-banded armadillo]], ''Euphractus sexcinctus''
** Genus ''[[Biology:Zaedyus|Zaedyus]]''
***[[Biology:Pichi|Pichi]], ''Zaedyus pichiy''
* Subfamily [[Biology:Tolypeutinae|Tolypeutinae]]
** Genus †''[[Biology:Kuntinaru|Kuntinaru]]''<ref name=Billetetal/>
** Genus ''[[Biology:Cabassous|Cabassous]]'' [[File:SouthernThreeBandedArmadillo065b.jpg|thumb|right|Southern three-banded armadillo]]
***[[Biology:Northern naked-tailed armadillo|Northern naked-tailed armadillo]], ''Cabassous centralis''
***[[Biology:Chacoan naked-tailed armadillo|Chacoan naked-tailed armadillo]], ''Cabassous chacoensis''
***[[Biology:Southern naked-tailed armadillo|Southern naked-tailed armadillo]], ''Cabassous unicinctus''
***[[Biology:Greater naked-tailed armadillo|Greater naked-tailed armadillo]], ''Cabassous tatouay''
** Genus ''[[Biology:Priodontes|Priodontes]]''
***[[Biology:Giant armadillo|Giant armadillo]], ''Priodontes maximus''
** Genus ''[[Biology:Tolypeutes|Tolypeutes]]''
***[[Biology:Southern three-banded armadillo|Southern three-banded armadillo]], ''Tolypeutes matacus''
***[[Biology:Brazilian three-banded armadillo|Brazilian three-banded armadillo]], ''Tolypeutes tricinctus''

† indicates extinct taxon

==Phylogeny==
Below is a recent simplified phylogeny of the xenarthran families, which includes armadillos, based on Slater et al. (2016)<ref>Slater, G., Cui, P., Forasiepi, A. M., Lenz, D., Tsangaras, K., Voirin, B., ... & Greenwood, A. D. (2016). Evolutionary relationships among extinct and extant sloths: the evidence of mitogenomes and retroviruses. Genome Biology and Evolution, evw023.</ref> and Delsuc et al. (2016).<ref>Delsuc, F., Gibb, G. C., Kuch, M., Billet, G., Hautier, L., Southon, J., ... & Poinar, H. N. (2016). The phylogenetic affinities of the extinct glyptodonts. Current Biology, 26(4), R155-R156.</ref> The dagger symbol, "†", denotes extinct groups.
{{clade|style=font-size:100%
|label1='''Xenarthra'''
|1={{Clade
   |label1=[[Biology:Cingulata|Cingulata]]
   |1={{Clade
      |1=[[Biology:Dasypus|Dasypodidae]] (Armadillos)
      |label2=
      |2={{Clade
         |1=†[[Biology:Pampatheriidae|Pampatheriidae]]
         |2=[[Biology:Chlamyphoridae|Chlamyphoridae]] (Armadillos)
      }} }}
   |label2=[[Biology:Pilosa|Pilosa]]
   |2={{Clade
      |label1=[[Biology:Anteater|Vermilingua]]
      |1={{Clade
         |1=[[Biology:Cyclopedidae|Cyclopedidae]]
         |2=[[Biology:Myrmecophagidae|Myrmecophagidae]]
         }}
      |label2=[[Biology:Sloth|Folivora]]
      |2={{Clade
         |label1=
         |1={{Clade
            |1=†[[Biology:Megatheriidae|Megatheriidae]]''
            |label1=
            |2={{Clade
               |1=†[[Biology:Nothrotheriidae|Nothrotheriidae]]
               |2=Bradypodidae
               }}
             }}
        |2={{Clade
           |label1=
           |1={{Clade
               |1=†[[Biology:Mylodontidae|Mylodontidae]]''
               |2=†[[Biology:Megalonychidae|Megalonychidae]] }} }} }} }} }} }}

==Evolution==
Recent genetic research suggests that an extinct group of giant armored mammals, the [[Biology:Glyptodont|glyptodont]]s, should be included within the lineage of armadillos, having diverged some 35 million years ago, more recently than previously assumed.<ref name =AMNH2016>{{cite web|url=http://www.amnh.org/explore/news-blogs/research-posts/study-finds-relationship-between-glyptodonts-modern-armadillos|title=Study finds relationship between glyptodonts, armadillos|publisher=AMNH|access-date=2016-02-22|archive-date=28 February 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160228051721/http://www.amnh.org/explore/news-blogs/research-posts/study-finds-relationship-between-glyptodonts-modern-armadillos|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Distribution==
Like all of the Xenarthra lineages, armadillos originated in [[Earth:South America|South America]]. Due to the continent's former isolation, they were confined there for most of the [[Earth:Cenozoic|Cenozoic]]. The recent formation of the Isthmus of Panama allowed a few members of the family to migrate northward into southern [[Earth:North America|North America]] by the early [[Earth:Pleistocene|Pleistocene]], as part of the [[Earth:Great American Interchange|Great American Interchange]].<ref name="Woodburne2010"/> (Some of their much larger [[Biology:Cingulata|cingulate]] relatives, the pampatheres and chlamyphorid [[Biology:Glyptodont|glyptodont]]s, made the same journey.)<ref name="Woodburne2010"/>

Today, all extant armadillo species are still present in South America. They are particularly diverse in Paraguay (where 11 species exist) and surrounding areas. Many species are endangered. Some, including four species of ''[[Biology:Dasypus|Dasypus]]'', are widely distributed over the Americas, whereas others, such as [[Biology:Yepes's mulita|Yepes's mulita]], are restricted to small ranges. Two species, the [[Biology:Northern naked-tailed armadillo|northern naked-tailed armadillo]] and [[Biology:Nine-banded armadillo|nine-banded armadillo]], are found in Central America; the latter has also reached the United States, primarily in the south-central states (notably Texas), but with a range that extends as far east as North Carolina and Florida, and as far north as southern Nebraska and southern {{wipe|Indiana}}.<ref name=ExpRange/> Their range has consistently expanded in North America over the last century due to a lack of natural predators. Armadillos are increasingly documented in southern Illinois and are tracking northwards due to [[Earth:Climate change|climate change]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Armadillos have arrived in downstate Illinois and are heading north — yes, you might someday see an armadillo in your backyard |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/ct-ent-armadillos-arrive-illinois-20220504-hhzv7szssbfotkegaxb442xu2m-story.html |access-date=2022-05-17 |website=Chicago Tribune |date=14 May 2022 |language=en |archive-date=17 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220517155535/https://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/ct-ent-armadillos-arrive-illinois-20220504-hhzv7szssbfotkegaxb442xu2m-story.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Characteristics ==
===Size===
The smallest species of armadillo, the [[Biology:Pink fairy armadillo|pink fairy armadillo]], weighs around {{convert|85|g|oz|abbr=on}} and is {{convert|13|-|15|cm|
|abbr=on}} in total length. The largest species, the [[Biology:Giant armadillo|giant armadillo]], can weigh up to {{convert|54|kg|lb|abbr=on}}, and can be {{convert|150|cm|in|abbr=on}} long.<ref name=NatGeo/>

===Diet and predation===
The diets of different armadillo species vary, but consist mainly of [[Biology:Insect|insect]]s, grubs, and other [[Biology:Invertebrate|invertebrate]]s. Some species, however, feed almost entirely on ants and termites.

They are prolific diggers. Many species use their sharp claws to dig for food, such as [[Biology:Larva|grubs]], and to dig dens. The [[Biology:Nine-banded armadillo|nine-banded armadillo]] prefers to build burrows in moist soil near the creeks, streams, and [[Earth:Arroyo (creek)|arroyos]] around which it lives and feeds.
[[File:Mani armadilli.png|thumb|right|Paws of a hairy and a giant armadillo]]
Armadillos have very poor eyesight, and use their keen sense of smell to hunt for food.<ref name=NatGeo/> They use their claws not only for digging and finding food but also for digging burrows for their dwellings, each of which is a single corridor the width of the animal's body. They have five clawed toes on their hind feet, and three to five toes with heavy digging claws on their fore feet. Armadillos have numerous cheek teeth which are not divided into premolars and molars, but usually have no incisors or canines. The [[Biology:Dentition|dentition]] of the nine-banded armadillo is P 7/7, M 1/1 = 32.<ref name="Freeman&Genoways"/>

===Body temperature===
In common with other xenarthrans, armadillos, in general, have low [[Physics:Thermoregulation|body temperature]]s of {{convert|33|-|36|C}} and low [[Basal metabolic rate|basal metabolic rate]]s (40–60% of that expected in placental mammals of their mass). This is particularly true of types that specialize in using termites as their primary food source (for example, ''[[Biology:Priodontes|Priodontes]]'' and ''[[Biology:Tolypeutes|Tolypeutes]]'').<ref name="McNab"/>

===Skin===
The armor is formed by [[Biology:Plate (anatomy)|plates]] of dermal bone covered in relatively small overlapping epidermal scales called "[[Biology:Scute|scute]]s" which are composed of keratin.<ref name=Yates>{{cite web|url=https://biologydictionary.net/armadillo/|title=Armadillo|last=Yates|first=Paige|date=30 October 2020|website=BiologyDictionary.net|publisher=Biology Dictionary|access-date=8 September 2021|quote=The plates of bone are covered in small overlapping epidermal scales called scutes, which are composed of keratin.|archive-date=8 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210908182815/https://biologydictionary.net/armadillo/|url-status=live}}</ref> The skin of an armadillo can glow under ultraviolet light.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Travouillon |first1=Kenny |last2=Cooper |first2=Christine Elizabeth |last3=Bouzin |first3=Jemmy |last4=Umbrello |first4=Linette |last5=Lewis |first5=Simon |last6=Conversation |first6=The |title=From glowing cats to wombats, fluorescent mammals are much more common than you'd think |url=https://phys.org/news/2023-10-cats-wombats-fluorescent-mammals-common.html |access-date=2023-10-06 |website=phys.org |language=en}}</ref>
Most species have rigid shields over the shoulders and hips, with a number of bands separated by flexible skin covering the back and flanks. Additional armor covers the top of the head, the upper parts of the limbs, and the tail. The underside of the animal is never armored and is simply covered with soft skin and fur.<ref name="EoM" /> This armor-like skin appears to be an important defense for many armadillos, although most escape predators by fleeing (often into thorny patches, from which their armor protects them) or digging to safety. Only the South American three-banded armadillos (''[[Biology:Tolypeutes|Tolypeutes]]'') rely heavily on their armor for protection.

===Defensive behavior===
When threatened by a predator, ''Tolypeutes'' species frequently roll up into a ball. Other armadillo species cannot roll up because they have too many plates. When surprised, the North American nine-banded armadillo tends to jump straight in the air, which can lead to a fatal collision with the undercarriage or fenders of passing vehicles.<ref name=LOC/>

===Movement===
Armadillos have short legs, but can move quite quickly.  The nine-banded armadillo is noted for its movement through water,<ref name=McDonough2013/> which is accomplished via two different methods: it can walk underwater for short distances, holding its breath for as long as six minutes; or, to cross larger bodies of water, it can increase its buoyancy by swallowing air to inflate its stomach and intestines.<ref name=Vijayaraghavan/>

===Reproduction===
Gestation lasts from 60 to 120 days, depending on species, although the nine-banded armadillo also exhibits delayed implantation, so the young are not typically born for eight months after mating. Most members of the genus ''[[Biology:Dasypus|Dasypus]]'' give birth to four monozygotic young (that is, identical quadruplets),<ref name=Bagatto2000/> but other species may have typical litter sizes that range from one to eight. The young are born with soft, leathery skin which hardens within a few weeks. They reach sexual maturity in three to twelve months, depending on the species. Armadillos are solitary animals that do not share their burrows with other adults.<ref name="EoM" />

==Armadillos and humans==

=== Science and education ===
Armadillos are often used in the study of [[Medicine:Leprosy|leprosy]], since they, along with [[Biology:Mangabey|mangabey]] monkeys, rabbits, and mice (on their footpads), are among the few known species that can contract the disease systemically. They are particularly susceptible due to their unusually low body temperature, which is hospitable to the leprosy bacterium, ''[[Biology:Mycobacterium leprae|Mycobacterium leprae]]''. (The leprosy bacterium is difficult to culture and armadillos have a body temperature of {{convert|34|C}}, similar to human skin.)<ref name="Truman">{{cite journal|last1=Truman|first1=Richard|title=Leprosy in wild armadillos|journal=Leprosy Review|date=2005|volume=76|issue=3|pages=198–208|doi=10.47276/lr.76.3.198 |url=http://www.lepra.org.uk/platforms/lepra/files/lr/sept05/lep198-208.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://www.lepra.org.uk/platforms/lepra/files/lr/sept05/lep198-208.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=live|access-date=4 May 2017|pmid=16248207}}</ref> Humans can acquire a leprosy infection from armadillos by handling them or consuming armadillo meat.<ref name=NYT2011/><ref>{{Cite web |last=Guiden |first=Mary |date=June 2018 |title=New evidence that wild armadillos spread leprosy to humans |url=https://cvmbs.source.colostate.edu/new-evidence-that-wild-armadillos-spread-leprosy-to-humans/ |access-date=November 16, 2023 |website=Colorado State University}}</ref> Armadillos are a presumed [[Biology:Vector (epidemiology)|vector]] and [[Biology:Natural reservoir|natural reservoir]] for the disease in Texas, Louisiana and Florida.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Zoonotic Leprosy in the Southeastern United States|first1=Rahul|last1=Sharma|first2=Pushpendra|last2=Singh|first3=W.J.|last3=Loughry|first4=J. Mitchell|last4=Lockhart|first5=W. Barry|last5=Inman|first6=Malcolm S.|last6=Duthie|first7=Maria T.|last7=Pena|first8=Luis A.|last8=Marcos|first9=David M.|last9=Scollard|first10=Stewart T.|last10=Cole|first11=Richard W.|last11=Truman|date=1 December 2015|journal=Emerging Infectious Diseases|volume=21|issue=12|pages=2127–2134|doi=10.3201/eid2112.150501|pmid=26583204|pmc=4672434}}</ref><ref name="Truman 2011"/> Prior to the [[History:European colonization of the Americas|arrival of Europeans in the late 15th century]], leprosy was unknown in the New World. Given that armadillos are native to the New World, at some point they must have acquired the disease from old-world humans.<ref name=NYT2011/><ref name="Truman 2011" />

The armadillo is also a [[Biology:Natural reservoir|natural reservoir]] for [[Medicine:Chagas disease|Chagas disease]].<ref name=Yaeger1988/>

The nine-banded armadillo also serves science through its unusual reproductive system, in which four genetically identical offspring are born, the result of one original egg.<ref name="ufl"/><ref name="valdosta"/><ref name="Hamlett1933"/> Because they are always genetically identical, the group of four young provides a good subject for scientific, behavioral, or medical tests that need consistent biological and genetic makeup in the test subjects. This is the only reliable manifestation of [[Biology:Polyembryony|polyembryony]] in the class Mammalia, and exists only within the genus ''Dasypus'' and not in all armadillos, as is commonly believed. Other species that display this trait include parasitoid wasps, certain flatworms, and various aquatic invertebrates.<ref name="valdosta" />

Even though they have a leathery, tough shell, Armadillos, (mainly ''Dasypus'') are common [[Biology:Roadkill|roadkill]] due to their habit of jumping 3–4&nbsp;ft vertically when startled, which puts them into collision with the underside of vehicles.<ref>{{Cite web|title=How high can a nine-banded armadillo jump?|url=https://www.loc.gov/item/how-high-can-a-nine-banded-armadillo-jump/|access-date=2020-08-31|website=Library of Congress}}</ref> Wildlife enthusiasts are using the northward march of the armadillo as an opportunity to educate others about the animals, which can be a burrowing nuisance to property owners and managers.<ref name="ufl" />

=== Culture ===
[[File:210_Museu_de_la_Música,_el_Bosc,_charango.jpg|thumb|A traditional charango made of ''armadillo'', today superseded by wooden charangos, in Museu de la Música de Barcelona]]
Armadillo shells have traditionally been used to make the back of the ''[[Engineering:Charango|charango]]'', an Andean [[Engineering:Lute|lute]] instrument.

In certain parts of Central and [[Earth:South America|South America]], armadillo meat is eaten; it is a popular ingredient in Oaxaca, Mexico. During the [[Finance:Great Depression|Great Depression]], Americans were known to eat armadillo, known begrudgingly as "Hoover hogs", a nod to the belief that President Herbert Hoover was responsible for the economic despair facing the nation at that time.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://armadillo-online.org/food.html|title=Armadillos as Food|website=armadillo-online.org|access-date=2019-11-21|archive-date=24 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191024191137/http://armadillo-online.org/food.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/2004/summer/hoover-2.html|title=The Ordeal of Herbert Hoover, Part 2|date=2016-08-15|website=National Archives|language=en|access-date=2019-11-21|archive-date=1 January 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200101060219/https://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/2004/summer/hoover-2.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

A whimsical account of ''The Beginning of the Armadillos'' is one of the chapters of Rudyard Kipling's ''Just So Stories'' 1902 children's book.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Kipling|first1=Rudyard|title=Just So Stories|date=1902|publisher=Macmillan|url=https://etc.usf.edu/lit2go/79/just-so-stories/1294/the-beginning-of-the-armadillos/|chapter=The Beginning of the Armadillos|access-date=6 July 2021|archive-date=9 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210709182923/https://etc.usf.edu/lit2go/79/just-so-stories/1294/the-beginning-of-the-armadillos/|url-status=live}}</ref> The vocal and piano duo Flanders and Swann recorded a humorous song called "The Armadillo".<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/973628714|title=The complete Flanders & Swann|date=1996|publisher=International Music Publishers|oclc=973628714|via=Open WorldCat}}</ref>

Shel Silverstein wrote a two-line poem called "Instructions" on how to bathe an armadillo in his collection ''A Light in the Attic''. The reference was "use one bar of soap, a whole lot of hope, and 27 pads of Brillo."

== See also ==
* Armadillo shoe
* [[Biology:Echidna|Echidna]]s, a type of [[Biology:Monotreme|monotreme]] with a defensive keratin body covering
* [[Biology:Hedgehog|Hedgehog]]s, another mammal group with defensive keratin body coverings
* [[Biology:Pangolin|Pangolin]]s, another mammal group with defensive keratin body coverings 
* [[Biology:Porcupine|Porcupine]]s, another mammal group with defensive keratin body coverings

{{Clear|right}}

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<ref name="valdosta">{{Cite journal |date=May–June 1998 |last1=Loughry |first1=W.J |last2=Prodohl |first2=Paulo A |last3=McDonough |first3=Colleen M |last4=Avise |first4=John C. |title=Polyembryony in Armadillos |journal=American Scientist |volume=86 |pages=274–279 |url=http://www.valdosta.edu/~jloughry/Reprints/AmSci.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://www.valdosta.edu/~jloughry/Reprints/AmSci.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=live |bibcode=1998AmSci..86..274L |doi=10.1511/1998.3.274 |issue=3|s2cid=196608283 }}</ref>
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}}

==Further reading==
*{{MSW3 Gardner|pages=94–99}}
*{{cite journal |last1=Superina |first1=Mariella |last2=Pagnutti |first2=Noralí |last3=Abba |first3=Agustín M. |title=What do we know about armadillos? An analysis of four centuries of knowledge about a group of South American mammals, with emphasis on their conservation |journal=Mammal Review |year=2014 |volume=44 |issue=1 |pages=69–80 |doi=10.1111/mam.12010|hdl=11336/26184 |hdl-access=free }}

==External links==
{{Commons and category|Armadillo|Dasypodidae}}
* {{cite EB9 |wstitle= Armadillo |volume= 2 |pages=544-545 |short=1}}
* [http://armadillo-online.org/index.html "Armadillo online" website] hosted by [http://armadillo-online.org/me.html zoologist Dr. Joshua Nixon]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070309063838/http://seabed.nationalgeographic.com/splat_ngx_pathfinder/templates/output/articles/gallery.tmpl?DB_NUM_PARAMS=2&DB_PARAM_0=0503&DB_PARAM_1=2 Photographs of armadillo rolling into a ball]

{{Taxonbar|from=Q47867}}

[[Category:Armadillos]]

{{Sourceattribution|Armadillo}}