Armadillos are famous for their bodies covered in a bony shell. Contrary to what you may have heard, the armadillo is neither a rodent nor a marsupial. There are twenty different species of armadillos and all armadillo species are native to the Americas, where they inhabit a variety of ecosystems. Coyotes are armadillos' top predators, followed by cougars, wolves, bears, raccoons, and large predators such as hawks and eagles. When frightened, armadillos can jump up to five feet. Normally this jump scares off any creature that tries to catch the armadillo for lunch. Unfortunately, this jump is not enough to avoid cars, which are the armadillo's most common cause of death. The armadillo's diet is omnivorous, which is why it has a very varied diet, including animal and vegetable food sources. There is even a video recorded in Argentina that shows an Armadillo biting a baby sheep in the neck, then he grabs the animal by the ear and drags it for a certain distance. The filming ends when the farmer filming steps on the armadillo. This wasn't the only time that an armadillo surprised the world, another video, released by some YouTubers, shows an armadillo attacking a calf. In this case, the armadillo is poking the cow's belly with its front paws and perhaps biting it as well. The calf is not very happy about this and is trying unsuccessfully to get up. The footage first circulated in June 2019 and was taken in the province of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Understandably, this behavior surprised many people, most of whom are clearly learning for the first time that armadillos can and will attack animals for food. Now you know that predation of this type is nothing new if you know a lot about armadillos.
#Armadillos #NaturalWorld!
