The armadillo is a peculiar animal native to the American continent, which has the greatest diversity of species towards the south of the region. It is an easily recognizable animal because most species have a shell that covers the body and acts as armor. Taxonomically it is located in the Cingulata order and in the Dasypodidae family, where there are about 20 species of armadillo, some with a greater range of distribution than others, and with certain variations in terms of armor, fur, color, sizes and shape of the armadillo. snout.
But one of the most doubtful aspects is what does the armadillo eat Therefore, in this article on our site, we want to introduce you to information related to the feeding of this mammal, so be sure to read it to find out what it feeds on.
Type of feeding of the armadillo
The type of feeding of the armadillo is omnivorous, so it has a fairly varied diet, which includes food sources both of origin animal as vegetable. Thus, it can eat insects, reptiles, plants or fruits. What fruits does the armadillo eat, plants or animals? Depending on the availability of such foods in their habitat. However, although we are dealing with an animal with a varied diet, depending on the species we can see variations in food, so that some, for example, are mainly insectivorous, and in certain cases, they even opt more for the consumption of certain types of insects, such as ants and termites. We also found some scavenging armadillos, in fact, they have been identified in human graveyards digging for food.
One of the characteristics of armadillos is that they are excellent diggers thanks to their powerful claws. Many of them open underground caves where they spend much of their time, which is why they are considered fossorial animals, that is, they live much of their time underground In In this sense, it is quite common for them to locate food sources down there, such as the aforementioned ants. Get to know in this other article more Animals that live under the ground.
The habits of the armadillo are usually crepuscular and nocturnal, so they feed mainly at these times, although in less hot times They can also do it during the day. Some species such as the six-banded armadillo (Euphractus sexcinctus) and the pygmy armadillo (Zaedyus pichiy) tend to eat during the day despite the hot temperatures that the group normally tries to avoid.
What does the baby armadillo eat?
Armadillos are mammalian animals, so the baby armadillo, when it is born, feeds on the milk offered by the mother Without However, some species at birth, as is the case of the long-nosed armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus), are quite precocious, so they quickly open their eyes and move without any problem, so that they begin to explore outside the burrow and consume certain foods such as insects, plant matter, or carrion.
On the other hand, species such as the giant armadillo (Priodontes maximus) have young that are born blind, which makes them more dependent on their mother and they live longer by consuming breast milk. Therefore, they start eating other types of food weeks later.
In certain cases, some young people stay together until they reach sexual maturity. While this is happening, they may share feeding areas until they become totally independent.
What foods does the adult armadillo eat?
As we mentioned, the armadillo is an omnivorous animal, so it has a varied diet However,depending on the species there may be a certain preference for some foods, although this is also related to their availability in the habitat where it grows.
The adult armadillo generally feeds individually, although during the mating season there are cases of newly formed pairs feeding together.
To better understand how varied the amardillo's diet can be, let's see what some specific species eat. Starting with the greatest fairy armadillo (Calyptophractus retusus), also known as the greater pichiciego, we see that it usually feeds on:
- Insects
- Larvae
- Worms
- Snails
- Eggs
- Estate
- Seeds
- Tubers
- Fruits
The hairy armadillo (Chaetophractus villosus) coincides in some foods with the previous species, but differs in others. Thus, their diet is based on the following:
- Insects
- Rodents
- Lizards
- Carrion
- Worms
- Larvae
- Vegetation
For its part, the pichiciego menor (Chalmyphorus truncatus), or pink fairy armadillo, which is one of the most curious and the smallest of all armadillos, it feeds mainly on ants and plants.
Another example that we can mention is the feeding of the pygmy armadillo (Zaedyus pichiy), within which we find carrion. As we have mentioned, although it is not common in all species, some of them are considered scavengers. Thus, the diet of the pygmy armadillo is made up of:
- Insects
- Worms
- Lizards
- Rodents
- Plant matter
- Carrion
The giant armadillo (Priodontes maximus) is undoubtedly one of the most popular species of the group, which is why it is common to ask what eats a giant armadillo. Well, it mainly feeds on termites and ants, but it is also another one that can feed on carrion. Also, it eats worms and reptiles.
The Southern Naked-Tailed Armadillo (Cabassous unicinctus) is also another one that eats mainly termites and ants, although it can also consume other invertebrates.
Continuing with the examples of specific feeding, the Andean hairy armadillo (Chaetophractus vellerosus) is one of the most select, since it is feeds mainly on beetles. As a supplement, you can also eat vegetable matter.
The northern naked-tailed armadillo (Cabassous centralis), like others mentioned, follows a more varied diet, since can eat:
- Larvae
- Beetles
- Termites
- Ants
- Worms
- Bird Eggs
- Reptiles
- Amphibians
Interestingly, the six-banded armadillo (Euphractus sexcinctus) feeds primarily on plant matter such as fruits, tubers, and nuts. As a supplement, you can eat:
- Termites
- Ants
- Frogs
- Carrion
Finally, we highlight the feeding of the southern long-nosed armadillo (Dasypus hybridus), which consists of:
- Crickets
- Beetles
- Termites
- Spiders
- Amphibians
- Reptiles
- Sheets
- Fruits
How much does the armadillo eat?
Now that you know what armadillos eat, it's normal to wonder how much an adult can eat. The truth is that it is not known precisely how much food an armadillo consumes. However, it is known that this type of animal spends about 16 hours sleeping, so the time it spends feeding is less.
Generally, burrows are built in areas close to food sources, so they stay close to them. In the case of the species that mainly consume termites and ants, which we have already seen are quite a few, when they locate a nest they insert one of their claws to open it and then use their sticky tongues to eat, so that they can finish off the nest in a short time. the nest of insects because they consume almost all of it.
The armadillo is an animal that does not have good eyesight or taste, although vision can vary from one species to another. As for smell and hearing, they are much more developed senses, for which they are used mainly to locate their food. Their strong and well-developed claws are also important for feeding, since with them, while they dig, they can locate certain types of food. Without a doubt, armadillos are really curious and particular animals, and not only because of their very select type of food in some cases, but also because of their way of feeding and way of life.
