Battleships - animals relic, contemporaries of the dinosaurs.Once it was a great family, now in the nature, there are only a few species.Changed and their sizes: glyptodonts, the largest known representative was the size of a modern rhinoceros.Now they do not hold up to one and a half meters in length, and the average height - thirty centimeters.
Battleship (picture shown) got its name from the carapace of the rigid plates, reminiscent of a knight's armor.Hence, the Spanish name of the animal - Armadillo (clad in armor).Body parts that are out of the shell, covered with wrinkled, warty skin.
family is divided into types in the first place by the number of zones in the shell: devyatipoyasnye, semipoyasnye, trehpoyasnye."Belt" articulate with each other by connective tissue, which provides a small animal relative flexibility.The most flexible - trehpoyasny: curls up into a ball, like our wood hedgehogs.In addition, different types of sizes.The smallest animal - schitonosets length thirteen centimeters.
medium in size the most common type - devyatipoyasny battleship.It is about fifty centimeters in length, and weigh between four and eight kilograms.
Battleship lives mainly in South and Central America.It prefers sandy plains and fields, digging deep burrows.Devyatipoyasnye less whimsical than the other species: not disdain brushwood, rise to the mountains up to three kilometers.They are more prone to other migrations: this kind of colonized Texas and other southern states of the US and continues to move north.
Battleships - animals with a small lifetime.Devyatipoyasnye live about four years.The animals have developed muscles.Although the shell, run fast, stand on its hind legs and even bounce on the ground.But their main way to move away from danger - quickly burrow into the ground.
Battleships - animals night.During the day they sleep, and in a night-time hunt.Their main delicacy - ants.Also insects and larvae in the diet consists of shoots and fruits of plants, fungi, small lizards and frogs.Pets are missing teeth: it has no fangs and detachment tooth enamel.Enjoy magnificent scent and very poor eyesight.Have battleship another advantage: it consumes little air and is able to hold their breath for long periods.Thanks to this particular animal is an excellent swimmer and very good at digging works.
Litter armadillo consists mostly of four cubs, which are identical twins.They are born with soft skin coating, which after a while and becomes ossified in armor.Babies are born with their eyes open, a few hours later stand on their feet for the year fully mature.
Battleships - animals exposed to leprosy.This disease is a relatively small number of mammals.The risk group includes humans, monkeys, mice.On the battleship tested medicinal preparations from this serious illness, still has widespread in tropical countries.
