Armadillo

◎供稿：Nina

在整個自然界中，有無數種奇特的生物存在，無論是我們熟知的，還是連名字都叫不上來的。那么，我們今天就來探討一下犰狳，看看它究竟是一種什么樣的動物吧!

The name Armadillo is Spanish and means “little armoured one”. It refers to the bony plates that cover the back, head, legs, and tail of most of these odd looking1)creature［?kri?t??(r)］n. 動物；生物creatures. Armadillos are the only living2)mammal［?m?ml］n.［脊椎］哺乳動物mammalsthat wear such shells.

There are around 20 species of Armadillo found in North and South America in various3)habitat［?h?bIt?t］n. 棲息地；產地habitatsfrom4)tropical［?tr?pIkl］adj. 熱帶的tropicalrainforests to dry savannas and grasslands.Armadillos are small placental mammals that measure between 13-150

centimetres and weigh between 85 grams -54 kilograms depending on species.Armadillos have a wide range of colors. They can be pink, red, black, gray or yellow.

Most species dig5)burrow［?b?r??］v. 挖地洞；挖穿；鉆入burrowsand sleep prolifically, up to 16 hours per day,foraging in the early morning and evening for beetles, ants,6)termite［?tз?maIt］n.［昆］白蟻termites, and other insects. They have very poor eyesight, and7)utilize［?ju?t?laIz］v. 利用utilizetheir keen sense of smell to hunt. Strong legs and huge front claws are used for digging, and long, sticky tongues for8)extract［?ekstr?kt］v. 提取；提煉extractingants and termites from their tunnels. In addition to bugs,armadillos eat small vertebrates, plants, and some fruit.

犰狳這個名字是西班牙語，意思是“小裝甲”，是指覆蓋這些奇特生物的大多數背部、頭部、腿部和尾部的骨板。犰狳是唯一有這種殼的現存哺乳動物。

在北美和南美，從熱帶雨林到干旱的熱帶稀樹草原和草原，在各種棲息地中發現了大約20種犰狳。犰狳是一種小型的胎盤哺乳動物，其大小在13至150厘米之間，重量在85克至54千克之間，視種類而定。犰狳有多種顏色。它們可以是粉紅色、紅色、黑色、灰色或黃色。

大多數犰狳每天挖洞，它們一天甚至可睡16個小時，并在清晨和傍晚覓食甲蟲、螞蟻、白蟻和其他昆蟲。他們的視力很差，并且利用敏銳的嗅覺來狩獵，堅固的腿和巨大的前爪用于挖掘，長而黏的舌頭用于從其隧道中抓獲螞蟻和白蟻。除臭蟲外，犰狳還食用小型脊椎動物、植物和一些水果。