File:The American natural history - a foundation of useful knowledge of the higher animals of North America (1914) (14803919373).jpg

Identifier: americannaturalh02hornuoft (find matches)
Title: The American natural history : a foundation of useful knowledge of the higher animals of North America
Year: 1914 (1910s)
Authors: Hornaday, William Temple, 1854-1937
Subjects: Natural history -- North America
Publisher: New York : C. Scribner's sons
Contributing Library: Gerstein - University of Toronto
Digitizing Sponsor: MSN

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n as the Ward Casts of Fossils. Theshell of the Glyptodon copied in plaster by Professor Wardis a nearly perfect dome, 53^ feet long, 4 feet wide and 40inches high. With but one exception, the armadillo of to-day is asmall creature, finding shelter in burrows which it digs foritself in the earth. Its movements are nervous and spas-modic, and for a short distance it scurries over the groundquite rapidly, running on the ends of its claws, and dodgingquite skilfully. Its legs are so short, however, it cannot runfar, and when about to be overtaken by a dangerous enemy,it halts and burrows in the ground with wonderful rapidity.It is not equipped for fighting, for it has no front teeth. Itsclaws are fit only for digging, and since it cannot climb trees,it prefers to live in burrows, on open prairies. But Nature has not left these creatures without protec- ^ A large Glyptodon, 7 feet long, has recently been discovered in Texas, anddescribed by Professor H. F. Osborn as Glyptotherium texanum.
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THE ARMADILLOS PROTECTIVE ARMOR 169 tion from their numerous enemies. The body is incased ina hard shell, composed of small plates of bone very cunninglyjoined together, which covers every portion save the breastand abdomen. The head is protected by a plate placed on its uppersurface, and the tail is incased in a chain of bony rings. Whenattacked by a savage animal, the armadillo tucks its legsunder the edge of the shell alongside its body, rolls into a ball,and as nearly as possible leaves nothing exposed save its shell.The creature thus becomes a living nut, that is not to becracked and eaten by every enemy that comes along. If the shell is strong enough, the armadillo is safe; butif it is not strong and hard, or entirely perfect as an en-velope, a jaguar or puma may possibly kill the animal anddevour it. The armadillos with the weakest armor have found itwise to avoid the forest home of the jaguar and puma, andlive on the open plains, where they are less liable to be killed.To enab

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