Any edentate animal if the family Dasypidæ, peculiar to America. The body and head are incased in an armor composed of small bony plates. The armadillos burrow in the earth, seldom going abroad except at night. When attacked, they curl up into a ball, presenting the armor on all sides. Their flesh is good food. There are several species, one of which (the peba) is found as far north as Texas. See Peba, Poyou, Tatouay.
A burrowing mammal found from the southern U.S. to Argentina and having the body and head encased in an armor of small bony plates (Spanish, from diminutive of armado armed one)[1577
Cat-sized, armored mammals, found in warm, dry areas of South America. They are related to sloths and anteaters. They dig burrows and dig for insects, although they occasionally eat plants, berries, or bird eggs, or scavenge dead animals. Females give birth to identical quadruplets. Unlike other mammals, young develop from the same egg and a single placenta.
burrowing chiefly nocturnal mammal with body covered with strong horny plates
a small, burrowing, armored mammal
The giant armadillo ( Holmesina septentrionalis) was huge compared to today's tiny creature. They had thirty-six teeth and hundreds upon hundreds of bony scutes, both rectangular and pentagonal in shape. Like some other animals, they had four toes on their front feet and three on the back.
Armadillos are small placental mammals, known for having a bony armor shell. The Dasypodidae are the only surviving family in the order Cingulata. Until as recently as 1995, the family was placed in the order Xenarthra, along with the anteaters and sloths.
Armadillo (Antonio Rodriguez), is a fictional character, a minor former supervillain in the Marvel Comics universe. He first appeared in Captain America #308.