![]() ![]() (Some of their much larger cingulate relatives, the pampatheres and chlamyphorid glyptodonts, made the same journey.) The recent formation of the Isthmus of Panama allowed a few members of the family to migrate northward into southern North America by the early Pleistocene, as part of the Great American Interchange. Due to the continent's former isolation, they were confined there for most of the Cenozoic. Like all of the Xenarthra lineages, armadillos originated in South America. Recent genetic research suggests that an extinct group of giant armored mammals, the glyptodonts, should be included within the lineage of armadillos, having diverged some 35 million years ago, more recently than previously assumed. The dagger symbol, "†", denotes extinct groups. Brazilian three-banded armadillo, Tolypeutes tricinctusīelow is a recent simplified phylogeny of the xenarthran families, which includes armadillos, based on Slater et al.Southern three-banded armadillo, Tolypeutes matacus.Greater naked-tailed armadillo, Cabassous tatouay.Southern naked-tailed armadillo, Cabassous unicinctus.Chacoan naked-tailed armadillo, Cabassous chacoensis.Northern naked-tailed armadillo, Cabassous centralis. ![]() Other various vernacular names given are: The Portuguese word for "armadillo" is tatú which is derived from the Tupi language ta' "bark, armor" and tu "dense" and used in Argentina, Bolivia, Brasil, Paraguay and Uruguay similar names are also found in other, especially European, languages. The Aztecs called them āyōtōchtli, Nahuatl for "turtle-rabbit": āyōtl (turtle) and tōchtli (rabbit). ![]() The word armadillo means "little armored one" in Spanish. When threatened by a predator, Tolypeutes species frequently roll up into a ball they are the only species of armadillo capable of this. The giant armadillo grows up to 150 cm (59 in) and weighs up to 54 kg (119 lb), while the pink fairy armadillo has a length of only 13–15 cm (5–6 in). The average length of an armadillo is about 75 cm (30 in), including its tail. They have short legs, but can move quite quickly. All species are native to the Americas, where they inhabit a variety of different environments.Īrmadillos are characterized by a leathery armor shell and long, sharp claws for digging. Nine extinct genera and 21 extant species of armadillo have been described, some of which are distinguished by the number of bands on their armor. The Chlamyphoridae and Dasypodidae are the only surviving families in the order, which is part of the superorder Xenarthra, along with the anteaters and sloths. Three-banded armadillo skeleton on display at the Museum of Osteology.Īrmadillos (meaning "little armored ones" in Spanish) are New World placental mammals in the order Cingulata. ![]()
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