The armadillos, together with their near ally the pichiciago, constitute a well-defined South American family distinguished from other living mammals by the development of a number of bony plates in the skin, so as to form a more or less complete shield enveloping the body; and it is from the presence of this bony cuirass that the members of the family derive their distinctive Spanish title of armadillos. The majority are mainly or exclusively insectivorous, but one species consumes not only flesh, but vegetable substances. In disposition these Edentates are mostly harmless and inoffensive little creatures. Darwin recounts that a South American remarked to him, as he was sharpening his knife on the back of one, "they are so quiet," (son tan mansos). All of them burrow in the ground; and so rapid is the act of burrowing, that if a horseman sees one of these animals, it is almost necessary for him to tumble off his horse in order to capture it before it disappears in the soft soil of the pampas. They run with considerable speed, some of the species merely touching the ground with the tips of their claws, and carrying the body elevated high on the limbs. They are found both on the open pampas and in the forests; and, with the exception of a single species which ranges as far north as Texas, they are restricted to the warmer parts of South and Central America. Their burrows are frequently found in the neighborhood of the mounds erected by ants and termites; and although most of the species wander abroad in search of food, a few lead an almost exclusively subterranean and mole-like life. Except in the pairing season, armadillos are solitary creatures; and they nearly always prefer flat, open country for their habitations. Although generally found in dry districts, they are said to be able to swim well and swiftly. In spite of the nature of their food (which in addition to ants and other insects includes snails and worms), the flesh of most armadillos is free from unpleasant flavor.
The weasel-headed, or six-banded armadillo, is the type of genus characterized by having six or seven, but usually eight, movable bands in the carapace. It attains a length of about 16 inches, exclusive of the tail, and inhabits Paraguay and Brazil, but is replaced in Argentina by the closely allied Peludo, or Hairy Armadillo. The fleecy armadillo, from Argentina and the north of Patagonia, are much smaller forms, of which the second is distinguished by the absence of any teeth in the premaxillary bones.
The different species of the genus vary somewhat in habits; the pichi being mainly diurnal, while in the cultivated districts of Argentina the peludo has become nocturnal. The pichi, according to Darwin, prefers a very dry soil;and the sand-dunes near the coast, where for many months it can never taste water, are its favorite resort; it often tries to escape notice by squatting close to the ground. All of the species live in burrows, where in winter or spring the young are born; the number in a litter varying from two to four, although the female has but a single pair of teats with which to feed them. The young are born blind, but with their armour fully formed, although soft and flexible. They grow with great rapidity, and remain for several weeks in the burrows; it is believed, however, that they are not suckled for any very lengthy period, and that they soon learn to shift for themselves. The armadillos of this genus are usually found alone; and most of them feed chiefly on ants and other insects, although they will also attack and devour small snakes. On the other hand, the peludo is omnivorous. Naturalist E. Peard writes that this species "comes forth for a short time only by day; on a moonlight night he may be met with at any hour. I have very often made a peludo post-mortem examination, and several times found his last meal consisted of putrid flesh, as well as insects and vegetable fibre. I do not mean to assert that he cannot live on vegetables alone; but he evidently does not prefer them, and looks on a dead lamb or other animal as a meal not to be despised. A fresh peludo-burrow may almost invariably be found by or underneath a stinking carcasse. This is not merely that the occupant may avail himself of the maggots bred in the carrion, for pieces of the flesh may frequently be seen drawn partly into the burrow, and the softer parts chewed and eaten." These flesh-eating propensities of the peludo frequently lead to its destruction, since these animals often devour the poisoned meat spread for wandering dogs and foxes. It is also stated that in some districts, where peludos are so numerous as to render riding dangerous, on account of their burrows, flesh poisoned with strichnine is exposed for their destruction. The foregoing observations are confirmed by naturalist W.H. Hudson, who writes that the peludo, like its fast-disappearing cousins, "is an insect-eater still, but does not like them seek its food on the surface and on the ant-hill only; all kinds of insects are preyed on, and by means of its keen scent it discovers worms and larvae several inches below the surface. Its method of taking worms and larvae resembles that of probing birds, for it throws up no earth, but forces its sharp snout an wedge-like head down to the required depth. Where it has found a rich hunting ground, the earth is seen pitted with hundreds of these neat symmetrical bores.
Both the peludo and the weasel-headed armadillo are hunted for the sake of their flesh, with dogs specially trained for the purpose. A moonlit night is generally selected for the pursuit; and the hunter arms himself with a stout cudgel, pointed at one end. As soon as the armadillo perceives the dog, it either makes straight for its burrow, or endeavors to bury itself by digging a hole where it stands. If a dog comes up with the creature before it gains its retreat, its fate is sealed. As the carapace affords no hold, the dog generally seizes the armadillo by the head, or a paw, and holds it till the arrival of his master, by whom it is despatched with a blow on the head from his stick. A specially clever dog will, however, endeavor to overthrow the armadillo as it runs by thrusting his nose under the edge of the carapace. The creature is then promptly seized by the soft under-parts, and soon killed; the teeth of the dog crunching up the edges of the carapace as readily as an egg-shell is crushed in the hand.
