The armadiole is a mysterious beast in armor. Bremen Allows - What is this Animal? Why is listed in the Red Book

On our planet there are unique, amazing animals. Giant armadioles - the echo of the ancient ER, with their dinosaurs and the progenitors of modern animals, which came to the present day.

What are these giants?

Giant battleship - is considered the most huge out. Just imagine - the length of the body of a giant armor near a meter, like an adult homemush, still plus a half-meter tail. And weigh the animal more than 30 kg, some individuals exceed a mark of 50 kg. The characteristic color of the shelter is a black torso, and whitish strips are placed on the head, tail and sides. On the paws - strong claws adapted to dig underground holes. Moreover, he has more than a hundred teeth. And this, by the way, the greatest number among the entire land mammal population.

By the way, the battleships are considered clumsy and irreparable animals. But our giant does not concern. If you pursue the giant armor, he begins to smoothly snort and go into the ground, pulling down the hole faster than a person armed with a spade.

Favorite habitats of giant battleships

If you like to travel to South America, you can meet this handsome. They live in wooded areas. Favorite his delicacy are termites. After the gourmet finds a solver, he completely destroys him, eats the inhabitants and right at the place of dinner digs a hole in which, although not for long but settle. Another natives said that these armadors eat Padal and devour the human corpses, breaking the graves. But, studies of scientists have shown that it is not true.

Enemies of the giant battleship in nature

In fact, the meat of battleship is considered a delicious delicacy. But the gigantic armadire has such a strong smell of musk that he is the only representative who is not eating. Animals do not represent much danger to the giant armor.

Paraguayan Indians make baskets, bottoms for guitars. From the tail shell of the conical shape Mastery of the horn for negotiations at a distance.

Among other things, the giant battleships are destroyed as pests, because these animals are drunk all the fields and pastures, bringing tremendous damage to farmers. Therefore, in many areas these animals are rare and they are protected as unique giants among the armadiors.

Gigantic armor breeding

Giant battleships are active at night. They are single in life, but for mating can sacrifice their bachelor's life. Naturally, the care of the offspring falls on the shoulders of female. There is no defined pairing period for giant battleships. The female pregnancy lasts four months, after which one cub appears on the light. The kids of the battleship are born in vulnerable, their shell is soft and vulnerable. By six months, they become independent, and by year - half-arms. On average, the life expectancy of representatives of the giant battleship is about 15 years.

Giant battleship is the largest representative of the TOLYPEUTINAE Barnight Safety Family.

In the length of the individual of this species reaches from 90 to 100 cm, the tail length is 50 cm, and the weight of an adult animal reaches 50-55 kg.

The muzzle at the gigantic battleship tube, forehead and head covered with bone plates of the wrong shape. The body is covered with a shell, which consists of individual panels located. Thanks to the membership of the shell on segments and connective tissue, connecting the rows, the shell has mobility. The shields can be square, rectangular, pentagonal (on the tail) and hexagonal. Wide small ears cover round bone outflows. Short bristles stick out between the shields.

Wide and high cervical vertebrae is partially growing, because they are supporting for the shell (it seems visually that they are 5). The ribs are wide, sacral vertebrae merge with sedlicatical and iliac bones.

Final five-plated. The front limbs intended for the digging of the Earth ends with powerful claws - on the 3rd finger, the claw reaches 20 cm in length.

The shell is painted in a dark brown shade, flap bordered with light yellow stripes. Belubo at the gigantic battleship of the light gray shade.

The number of aimed back of the teeth can reach 100, but since the basic diet of the giant armor constitutes termites and their larvae, food, they mined with a thin and long language covered with sticky saliva. The armadors of this species can also eat ants, spiders, worms, and in some cases to eat Padal.

The giant armor lives in the wet jungle and on the open meadows of South America (distributed from Guiana to Central Argentina), and also occurs in the North American continent (to Mexico).

Animals are trying to avoid settlements and lead a nightlife. Light time of day, giant battleships are carried out in nonorahs, which usually burst on the site of ruined meters. The gigantic armored stage will rip down herring grass and leaves that regularly updates. The territory of one individual is 0.5 - 3 km².

At the moments of danger, as well as, if necessary, to produce enough high insects, the animal becomes rear paws and supports himself a tail.

Natural enemies include large predators - the pums and jaguars, but the main threat to the giant battleship represents a person. The meat of the battleship is considered a delicacy, but having a Musky smell a giant battleship more often becomes a victim of Paraguayan Indians manufacturing from the animal shell, the bottoms for guitars and baskets, as well as farmers, whose fields and pastures animal goes in search of food.

The pairing period is not distinguished by seasonality. After a four-month pregnancy, the female produces one, sometimes two young. Although the baby is born in moatch, the soft shell makes it very vulnerable. Self-independent young becomes for the 6th month of life, and half-plant achieves by year.

The life of the giant armor is 12-15 years old.

On our planet there are amazing beasts, the structure of the body and the appearance of which are very different from other animals. Some of these are battleship ( DasyPodidae.) - Animals that are dressed in armor. They inhabited land in the prehistoric past, many million years ago, when dinosaurs existed on the planet. Perhaps these animals lived to this day only thanks to their impenetrable armor?

photo: Flickr.com/photos/dfc_pcola/

Who is the battleship?

The armadiole in translation from Spanish means one who wears armor. In these bizarre animals, the entire back, head, tail and even the paws are covered with a shell. At birth, the "knight's robe" in the battleship is soft, but it quickly solidifies. Despite his armor, the beast is easy to move, because its armor is movable and consists of many bone plates, which are interconnected with a strong elastic cloth. Its back smoothly rounded, and the legs are short and powerful, with strong claws on the fingers of the legs. The belly is soft and naked. Most species have little or no hair at all, but one mountain species has dense hair covered armor.

photo: Flickr.com/photos/Sickilla/

Bremenities - residents of the jungle and steppes of South and Central America. Today they are numbered 21 Viewplaced in 8 bodies (the 21st view of the armadire, recognized by Dasypus Yepesi, was described only in 1995). They usually live in open areas, such as savanna and pampas, but they are also found in forests. The armadors travel by one, couples or sometimes small groups and can be day or night.

photo: Flickr.com/photos/jyrkihokkanen/ Giant battleship

There are among them small, no more mouse, and there are gigantic. The length of the head and body among the types of battleship ranges from 125 to 1000 mm, and the tail length is from 25 to 500 mm. Giant armor (priodontes Maximus) can weigh up to 60 kg, whereas a little-known (chlamyphorus truncatus) which is fully adapted to the underground lifestyle, weighs only about 100 g.

P lained batonniets

Why do arm-armor armor?

Many animals armed with solid claws, sharp fangs, beaws or strong horns. Such a combat arsenal they use both to attack and protect against enemies. The battleship is such a "weapon" is not necessary, its strength is in the invulnerability of the shell. The beast, feeling danger, instantly disappears from the eye of the enemy. Right under the nose among the predator in a matter of seconds, the animal, quickly working on the front paws, breaks into the ground. There is another trick in the battleship: he, like a hedgehog, turns into the ball. No predator is able to contact him or deploy it. Thanks to this protection, the armadillo is similar to the armored tank.

What is his housing?

Taking advantage of your armored head as a shovel, the battleships dig holes at the streams or on the banks of the rivers. Sometimes their home has such a big entrance that even a person can crawl there. The Armored Beast worshiped her Noura lines dry leaves and grass that often replaces new, supporting cleanliness in their home.

Armored recordsman

None of anyone on Earth has such large claws, like a gigantic armor. They are with the palm and almost the same width. Even at the lion claws and is weaker! With its "strong weapon", the armadiole breaks solid, like a stone, metering or scratching and dumps the roots of trees to get to their favorite deals - ants. He can easily break the claws even asphalt road! In addition, the giant armadiole from South America is a champion among mammals by the number of teeth. Their animal is about hundred.

photo: flickr.com/photos/krossoverpro/

How does the battleship looking for food?

Going in search of food, the beast in armor sniffs, bowing her head to the earth itself, and, stopping at every step, digs for worms or ants. Thanks to the acute Nyuhuk, the armadiole feels insects, hidden under the ground at a depth of 20 cm. He digs up its prey with strong long claws, raking rag up with the soil. In order not to get the earth, the beast is holding a breath for a few minutes. The tongue in the battleship is long and sticky, with the help of it he captures food. He loves to be touched by ants, termites, worms and other insects, and also eats mushrooms and roots of trees. One battleship for the year eats about 90 kg of insects!

photo: flickr.com/photos/ /

Little swimmer in armor

Despite its clumsy and severity, armadioles - a skillful swimmer, which has its own special secrets. Pumping into the stomach and intestines air, the beast is easily held on the surface of the reservoir and not sinking. In addition, he knows how to run on the bottom of the lake or river, holding up breathing by almost 6 minutes! The armadillo on the bottom of the river will be packed, until the enemy leaves and only then gets out of the water. And maybe just go along the bottom from one shore to another. And while embarrassed predator will understand where the prey is doing - armadapors and the trail has bothered. Here is such an unusual animal in armor!

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• Class: Mammalia Linnaeus, 1758 \u003d Mammals
• Infrared: EUTHERIA, PLACENTALIA GILL, 1872 \u003d placental, higher beasts
• Detachment: EDENTATA GRAY, 1798 \u003d (US) Increased
• Family: DasyPodidae Bonaparte, 1838 \u003d Barnight
• Rod: PrioNontes Cuvier F., 1825 \u003d Giant Battleship
• View: PRIODONTS GIGANTEUS \u003d Giant battleship

Rod: PrioNontes Cuvier F., 1825 \u003d Giant Battleship

In kind, the only look is a giant armor.Large size largest in the family. In the spinal shell 11-13 moving belts. The shields on the tail are tightly adjacent to each other and do not form a row. Hair on the body is rare. The color of the body is dark brown, excluding whitish head, tail and strip along the bottom edge of the dorsal shield. In each jaw, according to 15-28 small teeth falling out with age.

It is commonly found near the water. Leads a nightlife. It often holds only on the hind legs and the tail, without touching the front earth. It feeds on ants, termites, other insects and their larvae, worms, spiders, snakes and Padalu. In litter 1-2 young.

View: Prioodontes Giganteus (Maximus) Geoffroy, 1803 \u003d Giant [Giant] Barnighter, armadiors-giant (Photo by t.s.carter)

Information about the battleship in literary and Internet editions is quite contradictory, but we give data from another two sources.

Information 1:Distributed in the eastern parts of South America, from Guiana to Central Argentina (Buenos Aires); Inhabits forests, Crafts, less often - outdoor terrain. The settlements avoids, and if there appears near human housing, the farmers strive to destroy it, because in search of food, the armadapors goes the fields. Its very large, and it is often possible to see the edges, glads or groves, completely exhausted by a giant battleship on a greater depth. I put on the hind legs and resting on the tail, with its powerful sharp claws, it destroys all the fracthers on the way. It is dug it with such a wide laser that a person can crawl there. Body length 90-100 cm, tail - 50 cm and body weight about 50 kg (http://filin.vn.ua/mammels/dasypodidae.htm).

Information 2:Giant armadioles - PrioDontes Giganteus - a squat awkward animal, lives in open spaces and in the forests of America from the south of the USA to Chile and Argentina. see photo Body length from 12 cm to 1 m, not counting tail, mass from 0.3 to 55 kg. From above and from the sides of the armadiole is covered with a thick sheathy of horny flaps, the shields are located belts associated with an elastic connective tissue, which gives the shell mobility. The battleships have very large claws that they roll the land and dig holes. They have from 28 to 40, they have a gigantic battleship - up to 90, they are cylindrical and without roots. Inhabiting the steppes, deserts, savanna and edges of the forests of South and Central America (in the north to Mexico). The battleships lead a single nightlife, looking for small vertebrates, insects, their larvae, mollusks, and in the afternoon they are hiding in Norah. Females bring from 2 to 4 cubs.

* Armor, or, as they are called in Latin America, Armadilla, refer to the other "pocket dinosaurs". This figurative expression is justified not only by their appearance, but also by the fact that the armadors really animals are very ancient. They appeared on Earth about 55 million years ago, and the same "armor" helped to survive, from which their name - shell covering the skin of these animals. Translated from the Spanish "Armadilla" means "carrier armor". ..

The history of incomplete ... Invincibles separated from the total table of mammals for a long time, 70-80 million years ago, that is, in the chalome period, shortly before the extinction of dinosaurs. Phylogenetically, they, apparently, closest to Pangolins, or Lizards, the remains of which (Eomanis) are known already from the middle of the Eocene era. Some of the first lathes have already possessed with an emotional teeth and bone sheath .. ..

Giant battleship (lat. Priodontes Maximus) I managed to become a record holder at once in several areas. Not only is he considered the largest representative of the family, he also has a teeth about hundreds. And this is, by the way, the largest amount among all known land mammals. In addition, its 20-centimeter claws are considered one of the largest in the world.

There are giant battleships in South America. Their area begins from the southern part of Venezuela, passes through the entire Amazon lowland, reaches Paraguay and the northern part of Argentina.

The length of the body of a giant battleship reaches 75-100 cm, and the weight may exceed 30 kg. In captivity there is a case when the animal mass passed for 60 kilos, but this, of course, is rather an exception to the rules. The body of the armadire, including a half-meter tail, is covered with a very movable shell, divided into numerous segments. On the back and sides are thick horny flaps, interconnected by a very elastic cloth, which gives the armor of mobility. The color of the shell is most often brown, and belly is noticeably lighter.

The muzzle is tube, the teeth are directed back, the language is long and sticky. With his help, the giant armor hunting his favorite delicacy - termites. If such a ladchard finds a solid, insects will have to be tight: the beast will completely destroy the nest and eat most of its inhabitants. Then right on the spot the meal will make a mink and settled there.

True, for a while: the plot of one giant armor takes the territory from one to three kilometers in a square. Therefore, when the beast goes to search for another dinner - the question of time. Interestingly, the unfortunate termites will not even help the decent height of their fracthers - the animal can become on the hind legs, so it will easily get to his top. If there are no heat meters nearby, the beast is quite content with ants, worms, spiders and Padalu.

Giant battleships are active at night and lead a single lifestyle. They meet with relatives only during the reproduction period. Pregnancy lasts about four months and ends with the birth of one or two young. Caring for them falls on the shoulders of the mother, as the Father does not take part in the upbringing of the offspring.

Lactation lasts 4-6 months and already in half a year, kids begin an independent life. They will be able to continue the genus they will become aged nine to twelve months. The life expectancy of giant battleships is 12-15 years old. With such decent sizes, they have very few enemies. Is that Puma or Jaguar can try to attack an adult animal. Coyota, dogs and other predators hunt for young hunt.

Well, most of all the hassle bring people who exterminate them for meat, reminiscent of pork to taste. These animals are considered agricultural pests, as it is from time to time they make raids on the fields. At the same time, they do not eat plants, but looking for suitable mining, breaking the earth and pulling out plantings. Unfortunately, the gigantic battleships remained not so much. The IUCN assists them to the species that are in a vulnerable position.