Battleship - an animal that can stand up for itself

There is a lot on our planetamazing and interesting creatures with an unusual appearance. To such amusing little animals there is also a battleship. The animal lives on the earth for about 55 million years. The ancient specimens were larger than modern armadilloes, their weight reached several tons, and the length of the trunk is about 2.5 m, and it is possible to compare these creatures with hippopotamuses. As before, today, animals live in South America and in the south of North America.

At home, the armadillos are called armadillas, which intranslation means "carrying armor", or even pocket dinosaurs. And all the fault is a reliable shell that covers the tail, back, sides and part of the animal's head. The family has about 20 species and belongs to the group of incomplete teeth, although the very teeth are not too small - from 20 to 65. In armor of bony bands and plates, an armadillo is dressed. The photo of these creatures evokes tenderness and a smile, despite their clumsiness, they run pretty fast, hiding from the pursuit.

In the villages of Mexico, Brazil, Bolivia and Argentinavery often you can see a picture of how boys play football with a heavy ball. When the game ends, this very tangle unfolds and runs away - this is the battleship. An animal for several seconds is able to fold into a ball, which is not so easy to uncover. Another way to escape from persecution is to dig in the ground. Long claws on the front legs help quickly to dig holes, tear tree trunks, tear nests and termitniks, what to say about burying in sand or loose ground.

Today there are not so many armadillas left.Local people believe that the battleship has a very strong magical properties. The animal is caught to kill and make amulets out of its bones and shell. Meat is also very healthy and tasty, so there are plenty of hunters. On an even surface, armadillas are very difficult to escape from humans and dogs, but as soon as they reach the thickets, it is no longer possible to pursue them: a strong armor allows you to confidently make your way through thorns and tangled branches.

The shell protects only the upper part of the body, butthe stomach is completely defenseless, there are only coarse hairs on it. Collapse in the ball can only two types: the Brazilian and the Laplace battleship. The animal thus hides its light body. But the nine-type view and others do not possess such abilities. Armadillas mostly lead a nocturnal life: in the daytime they hide and sleep, and at night go out hunting. Their teeth are very weak, so armadillos feed on insects, berries, snakes, snails, worms and other invertebrates. Food is chewed not in the mouth, but in the stomach, where there are sharp thorns.

Completely helpless and without protective armoran animal battleship is born. Photo of the kids gives an idea of ​​how easy prey they are in the first days after birth. A few weeks later, a solid shell appears. Of great interest to geneticists and psychologists are the nine-footed armadillas, since they are always born with same-sex twins. By placing animals in different habitats, scientists observe the effect the environment has on creatures with the same genes.