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The Missouri Department of Conservation wants
to help you discover nature and learn more about
the nine banded armadillos.
Since the mid-1970s the armadillo has made itself at home in Missouri.
Armadillo is Spanish for "little armored one."
>> They're often called opossum in a half shell
because of what they look like, similar in size to say opossum.
But their hair is specialized into a hard armor
and it covers their back and their sides.
>> Armadillos weight from 2?20 pounds,
have short legs, big ears,
and a ringed tail almost as long as their body.
Often armadillos end up as road kill.
This is due to their habit
of jumping up in the air when startled.
This can be deadly when they are underneath a moving vehicle.
They dine on a variety of insects.
They can eat about 200 pounds of insects per year.
Armadillos search for food by rooting in the ground.
They are great diggers
and sometimes damage lawns and gardens.