Amanda The Armadillo: All In The Family Quiz

Answer: armored

Uh-huh, that's right. We are much like an Army tank in that we are armored. In fact, we have been called "little armored ones."

We have very strong claws and a jointed protective covering or layer of bony plates all over our bodies. Pretty good defense mechanism when predators come calling. Some of us can even roll up tightly into a ball and thus ward off attackers.

We are native to the Americas, and have been found in South, Central and North America. Those of us in North America are all of the "nine-banded" variety. Just so that you don't think that we're only from the south, however, we have some relatives that have ventured as far north as Nebraska, Illinois and even into portions of Canada, but extreme cold weather is not good for us!

Answer: armadillos nearly always have four offspring per mating

My species almost always has one egg that divides itself into four identical components; so four is a very common number of babies for us to produce. There is one litter of four quadruplets per year, (always of the same sex), usually born around April.

Additionally, we have the ability to choose when to get pregnant, even delaying the pregnancy by months or even years AFTER we have mated.

In case of food shortages, water shortages or dangerous conditions, we may delay the egg fertilization process until we no longer feel stressed with environmental concerns.

Now, how many other animals can manage to do THAT?

Answer: pink

Pretty in pink; although later they may become a sickly looking kind of yellowish-white color before they mature into the grey adults that they will become. They aren't really sick, though, they will just have that peculiar coloration for a while.

Answer: sloths and aardvarks

We like to eat small things like ants, beetles, grubs and termites, but we also enjoy snakes, worms, snails, roots, bird eggs, frogs and fruit and sometimes even dead animals. If you have adopted us, we will eat cat food along with as much of our regular diet as you will feed us, but be forewarned, we don't necessarily make good pets due to the fact that we just LOVE to dig our way out of your accomodations!

P.S.
(...and we DON'T like being called "'possum-on-the-half-shell!")

Answer: with our armor, by digging or running away and by jumping

She led those dogs into a briar thicket. They suffered terribly, howling miserably from the thorns that were inflicted in their soft skin. She, on the other hand, didn't feel a thing, because she, in her words, was born to be "thick skinned". Our main defense is our "armor plating", but we usually escape predators by scurrying off into thorny patches or by digging our way to safety.

Only our South American cousins, the three-banded armadillos rely heavily on their armor for protection. Whenever they feel threatened they can roll up into a ball.

The rest of us can't do this because we have too many plates. We of the North American Nine-banded variety tend to jump straight up into the air (up to four feet!) when we get surprised, or when trying to scare monsters away from our babies.

(I once scared the tar out of the author of this quiz, when he was trying to get close enough to examine one of my children who was rapidly digging his way into the ground.) (Hee-hee; now THAT was funny!)

Unfortunately, this not a good manuever if we are traveling on the roadway with cars passing overhead. OUCH!

Answer: extremely accurate

We like water just fine and we are able to remain underwater for as long as six minutes. Because of our armored shells are so thick and heavy, we will sink in water unless we inflates our stomach and intestines with air. This almost doubles our size, temporarily, and allows us to swim across small bodies of water.

We have also been known to simply hold our breath and just walk across on the bottom of the lake, river or whatever body of water is in our way!

Answer: removing our food source

Eliminating our food source may take several applications, so you must be patient and persistent. After our food source disappears, we may actually increase our activities until we realize that the food is actually gone. Remember that while we may not be the smartest animals in the world, it may take us a few days for us to decide that we need to go elsewhere for a new food source. In the southeastern U.S., they have a thing called "mole crickets", or "kangaroo crickets." If you will get rid of these, many times we will simply go elsewhere. We just LOVE this snack.
Another very effective method is the old one-two punch provided by a castor oil spray, followed by a granular pellet repelling agent.

We don't care for that at all!
Trapping and re-releasing us elsewhere is the second preferred method.
The other methods are dangerous, not just for us but also for you and other critters as well.

Answer: by sheer accident and migration patterns.

Florida populations of armadillos were started from accidental releases from zoos and from "hitchhikers" that came from Texas by truck and railcar. Quite likely, Uncle Arnie just crawled up from Pensacola.

Answer: Texas

We are found in all of these states, but Texas is our "official" adoptive state.

As one of Texas's state symbols, we, the nine-banded armadillos, are found on the "Animals of Least Concern" listing of Endangered Species. We are found EVERYWHERE in Texas. During the Great Depression, we were hunted for our meat, but since we reproduce so well, it hardly affected our overall numbers at all.

Answer: the pink fairy

Some of the breeds do include the nine-banded armadillo, the giant armadillo, the large hairy armadillo, the three-banded armadillo, the pink fairy armadillo, the six-banded armadillo, the northern naked-tailed armadillo and the dwarf armadillo.

The smallest of our kind is the "pink fairy", which is only 6 inches tall, and the largest one is the "giant", which can grow up to 5 feet in height.

Our average life expectancy is between 12-15 years and I can have about 52 more "pups" in my lifetime, with each litter consisting of four.
Yes, "prolific" is the word that you were looking for.