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Concept
Armadillo
Summary
Armadillos (meaning "little armored ones" in Spanish) are New World placental mammals in the order Cingulata. 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. 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. All species are native to the Americas, where they inhabit a variety of different environments.
Armadillos are characterized by a leathery armor shell and long, sharp claws for digging. They have short legs, but can move quite quickly. The average length of an armadillo is about , including its tail. The giant armadillo grows up to and weighs up to , while the pink fairy armadillo has a length of only . When threatened by a predator, Tolypeutes species frequently roll up into a ball; they are the only species of armadillo capable of this.
The word armadillo means "little armored one" in Spanish; it is derived from "armadura" (armor), with the diminutive suffix "-illo" attached. While the phrase "little armored one" would translate to "armadito" normally, the suffix "-illo" can be used in place of "-ito" when the diminutive is used in an approximative tense. The Aztecs called them āyōtōchtli aːjoːˈtoːt͡ʃt͡ɬi, Nahuatl for "turtle-rabbit": āyōtl ˈaːjoːt͡ɬ (turtle) and tōchtli ˈtoːt͡ʃt͡ɬi (rabbit). The Portuguese word for "armadillo" is tatu 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.
Other various vernacular names given are:
quirquincho (from kirkinchu) in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia and Peru;
cuzuco (from Nahuatl) in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua;
mulita in Argentina and Uruguay;
peludo in Argentina, Chile, Colombia and Uruguay;
piche in Argentina, Brasil, Chile, Colombia and Paraguay;
cachicamo in Colombia and Venezuela
gurre in Tolima, Caldas and Antioquia, Colombia;
jerre-jerre in Caribbean Colombia;
jueche in southeast Mexico;
toche in the state of Veracruz, Mexico;
carachupa in Perú.
Official source
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