They are surprisingly rapidĭespite their size and being covered in thick armour, screaming hairy armadillos can move quite quickly. Their Spanish name is derived from their plate armour. The name armadillo means “little armoured one” Screaming hairy armadillos can consume large amounts of sand while foraging for food, and large amounts of sand have been recorded in their bellies!ħ. 50% of their stomach can be filled with sand Only three banded armadillos can roll into a complete ball for protection. These armadillos are one of the hairiest of all armadillo species. They have long hair growing in between their scutes The big hairy armadillo and the Andean hairy armadillo are both much larger than this species. Screaming hairy armadillos are the smallest of the hairy armadillos They are sometimes called ‘crying’ or ‘weeping’ armadillosĪs well as screaming, these armadillos shrieks can also sound like a young person crying. When handled or threatened, these armadillos produce a high-pitched squeal similar to pigs. Their screams sound a little like pig squeals Interesting Screaming Hairy Armadillo Facts 1. They do however play an important role in regulating insect numbers, especially those which themselves are crop pests. Screaming hairy armadillos are also eaten by people, their meat being a valuable food source and their carapace used to make stringed musical instruments. Their preference for softer soil often means that these armadillos are attracted to farm fields and where they become pests, farmers use hunting dogs to track and kill them. Once they become fully independent, the young armadillos leave the family unit and take up a solitary existence.ĭue to their prolific burrowing activities, screaming hairy armadillos can sometimes become pests in agricultural areas. After around 2 months they are weaned and begin finding food for themselves.
The pups can weigh as little as 150g at birth. They are completely blind and helpless at birth, their eyes sometimes only opening after a month. The litter consists of 2 or occasionally 3 pups that are born without the protective armour of their parents. Screaming hairy armadillos tend to breed during the slightly cooler months and usually produce one or two litters per year. The armour also helps armadillos move through thorny scrub as well as increasing heat loss from the body during very hot weather. Large predators are able to break into this protective ‘shell’, however sometimes some are dissuaded from attacking due to the armadillo’s appearance.
#SCREAMING HAIRY ARMADILLO SKIN#
These bony plates grow in the skin and are covered with a thick layer of keratin, the same substance that makes up human fingernails. Like most armadillos the screaming hairy armadillo is covered with armour plating. Their eyesight is relatively poor so they locate their food mainly using a heightened sense of smell and a good sense of hearing. Once awake however, the screaming hairy armadillo will cover large distances away from their main burrow in order to find food. The screaming hairy armadillo spends much of its time fast asleep! In order to avoid extreme heat and cold, they will burrow deep into the soil where the temperature is more stable. Interestingly they will occasionally burrow into and under animal carcasses in search of insects. They feed mostly on insects and small vertebrates but do also eat plants, especially in the winter when insects are scarce. Their behaviour and diet is determined by the weather, preferring to hunt for insects in the evening when the weather is hot and then being more active in the day during the cooler months of the year.
The screaming hairy armadillo is a solitary animal, that tend to prefer habitats where sand is abundant as it is easier for them to find prey and dig their burrows.
Jaguars, pumas, large birds of prey and other large carnivorous animals Insects, small vertebrates and some plants Tail length around 12cmīrown with light coloured hair protrudes from between the scutes Most habitat types although absent from rocky areasģ0cm in body length. Screaming Hairy Armadillo Facts Overview Habitat: The screaming hairy armadillo has longer, thicker hair than most other armadillo species. These screams are thought to deter predators from attacking the armadillo. This armadillo is also known as the small screaming armadillo, crying armadillo, or small hairy armadillo because of its unusual, high-pitched weeping scream when threatened. It lives in a variety of habitat types, wherever the soil is loose enough to dig burrows. The screaming hairy armadillo is a small armadillo species found in the South American countries of Paraguay, Bolivia, and Argentina.
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