Hobbies And Interests

How Does the Armadillo Roll Into a Ball?

The three-banded armadillo is the only species capable of rolling itself into a tight ball to escape predators. There are two types of three-banded armadillo: the Brazilian and the southern three-banded armadillo. Both types roll themselves up completely, leaving only a thin opening between the various shell edges. These openings snap completely shut if something touches the animal while it is rolled up. The armadillo's tough carapace or shell consists of modified skin, and its teardrop-shaped head shield seals the ball shape, leaving no breaks in the creature's armor.
  1. Tough Armor

    • The tough armor of three-banded armadillos is composed of strong bony plates, covered by horny skin. Wide and rigid shields protect the armadillo's hips and shoulders, while three bands overlay the creature's back. The large shoulder and hip sections of this armor are not attached to the armadillo's sides, and this area provides an ideal space into which the head, tail and limbs fit when the animal rolls into a ball. The armor also protects the top of the armadillo's head and tail.

    Flexible Armor

    • The bony plates that cover the back of the three-banded armadillo are flexible enough to allow the animal to bend its head and tail together. Once in the ball shape, this flexible armor protects the creature's vulnerable abdomen, eyes, ears and snout from animal predators. The outer layer of the protective bony plates consists of keratin, which is the same material from which human fingernails are composed.

    Tough Skin

    • Even the soft skin of a three-banded armadillo shows signs of being thickened. This skin is osseous in many places, although the ossification is only truly complete on the outer legs and those sections that lie between the bony plates. This is important because the armadillo's protective shell does not consist of a single piece, such as the shell of a turtle, but of a number of separate plates. The tough membranes that connect each of the plates are flexible enough to allow for movement, but tough enough to help create an impregnable ball, once the armadillo has rolled itself up.

    Insufficient Protection

    • The three-banded armadillo's vulnerable organs are protected once it pulls its head and tail together and rolls into a tight ball. Unfortunately, rolling into a ball shape does not protect the three-banded armadillo from humans, who eat the creature and use its fascinating bony plates to make purses, handbags and a variety of other trinkets and souvenirs.


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