After leaving its mother’s care, a young southern three-banded armadillo may share a home range with its mother for a short time. Armadillos can hold their breath to cross small rivers by swimming or walking. Young armadillos are raised by the female only, and are independent in just 72 days. Primarily nocturnal, but it is possible to see armadillos during the day too. The infant armadillo looks like a smaller version of the adult, but has softer scutes. After a 120-day gestation period, females give birth to one offspring. They do not hibernate, and they are not adapted for finding food when snow and ice prevent access to the insects and other invertebrates they eat. After mating, each quickly returns to its own burrow. Males and females may have overlapping home ranges that help them find mates. Not much is known about three-banded armadillo reproduction and raising of young. Their defense strategy of curling into a ball makes these armadillos easy for humans to catch, meaning that humans can potentially become a major threat to southern three-banded armadillos. Southern three-banded armadillos are occasionally hunted by people for food, scute collecting, or the pet trade. Because their predators are mainly nocturnal, young armadillos will venture out in the late afternoon to return to the safety of their burrows earlier in the evening. However, large mammals like jaguars and maned wolves can successfully hunt members of this species. Armadillos are terrestrial and burrowing mammals equipped with muscular fore limbs and hind limbs and large sharp claws for digging in soil to find food and to. The bony armor of three-banded armadillos protects them from most animals. Small gaps between the curled-up armadillo’s scutes can pinch the skin or fingers of predators that try to pry open this potential meal. When threatened, a southern three-banded armadillo can roll completely into a ball, shielding its soft belly. In southern three-banded armadillos, this protective adaptation goes a step further. This shift to nocturnal existence certainly comes with costs. The bony plates (scutes) of armadillos make them instantly recognizable. There’s not too many things that prey on armadillos, but those things are active at night, DeGregorio said. If none are available, they will make temporary nests out of grasses and leaves. Southern three-banded armadillos rarely dig their own burrows, prefering to take over the abandoned burrows of other animals. During the day these armadillos rest in burrows to keep cool and safe. Thanks to this armor, three-banded armadillos can move around confidently each night in search of ants and termites. Southern three-banded armadillos are small mammals covered in an armor of hard, bony plates called scutes. Although mainly nocturnal, armadillos may be a bit more active during the day when the weather is cooler. They can also be found in and around agricultural fields. Southern three-banded armadillos are found primarily in dry forests and grasslands of Argentina, Boiva, Brazil, and Paraguay. Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion.
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