Trivia question for Aug-19-2011

Olivia and I saw one of these guys this afternoon as we were driving home from school so she decided to feature them in her trivia.  These guys bear a protective armor of strong, bony plates and scales across its upper-parts.

These animals evolved in a warm rainy environment and is still most commonly found in regions resembling its ancestral home. However, it is a very adaptable animal that can also be found in scrublands, open prairies, and tropical rain-forests. They cannot thrive in particularly cold or dry environments, as their large surface area, which is not well insulated by fat, makes them especially susceptible to heat and water loss.  They are generally insectivores. They forage for meals by thrusting their snouts into loose soil and leaf litter and frantically digging in erratic patterns, stopping occasionally to dig up grubs, beetles, ants, termites, and worms, which their sensitive noses can detect through 8 inches of soil. They then lap up the insects with their sticky tongue. They supplement their diet with amphibians, small reptiles, fungi, tubers, and carrion.

So here are Olivia’s questions: Tell us what this animal is and what human disease they are susceptible to?  Also, tell us how long these guys can hold their breath while their snout is buried in soil as they forage for food?

Good Luck 😉

Answer:

Congratulations goes out to several folks for this trivia.  First to respond was Robert P Fenton from Winter Park FL and he was able to identify the species and the human disease they can contract. Next we had Angela Williams (who claims to be fluent in sarcasm) who also identified the species correctly but was also able to answer the final portion of our trivia. The critter we featured is the Nine-Banded Armadillo. The Nine-Banded Armadillo, or the nine-banded long-nosed armadillo, is a species of armadillo found in North, Central, and South America, making it the most widespread of the armadillos.

The Nine-Banded Armadillo is susceptible to the human disease leprosy.  With its snout buried in the soil, these armadillo can hold its breath for six minutes.  Here is more on these hearty guys: Nine-Banded Armadillo

Thanks for playing along 😉