Brazilian Three Banded Armadillo

World Cup is about to go, just less than a month. You will see an advertising, campaign, information about world cup everywhere, television, internet, newspaper, etc. Team profile, players profile, the venues, profile of the host venue, Brazil and Fuleco, the mascot. Fuleco is an animal, it is Brazilian three banded armadillo, a species of armadillo that endemic to Brazil. 

Well, there are many varieties of armadillo but i'm just gonna share some info about Brazilian armadillo. But for short, lets get to know what is armadillo.

The word armadillo (Spanish) has meaning little armored one . Armadillo are small medium sized mammals, live in temperate and warm habitats, cold is their enemy. Most species are dig burrows, they are prolific digger. They use their claws to dig for food and dens. Armadillos are the only living mammals that wear such shells for their protection. Only Brazilian three banded armadillo can curling its head and back feet and contorting its shell into a hard ball that confounds would be predators. 

Brazilian three banded armadillo

The Brazilian three-banded armadillo lives primarily in open savannahs and dry woodlands, where low rainfall and poor soil limit the vegetation to tall, woody grasses, scattered bushes, and gnarled trees. There is an abundance of cactus-like plants in the northern reaches of its range. Brazilian three-banded armadillos weigh approximately 3.5 lbs (1.5 kg). The armor is composed of ossified dermal scutes covered by nonoverlapping, keratinized epidermal scales, which are connected by flexible bands of skin. This armor covers the back, sides, head, tail, ears, and outside surfaces of the legs. The underside of the body and the inner surfaces of the legs have no armored protection, and are covered instead by long, coarse hair. The genus Tolypeutes, which includes both the Brazilian and southern species of three banded armadillos, is unique in the ability to roll up in a tight, almost impenetrable ball. This is because their armor is slightly looser than that of other armadillo genera, which allows for greater freedom of movement. 

Armadillos are chiefly solitary, but this species will occasionally travel in small family groups of up to three members. They are largely nocturnal, but have been known to forage during the day. three-banded armadillos do not dig in defense or to find shelter. They prefer to rest under bushes, rather than dig burrows, and their ability to roll into a ball makes defensive digging unnecessary. The defense system of the Brazilian three banded armadillo makes it safe from the majority of predators. Adult pumas are the only South American animals powerful enough to be a natural threat. The real danger to armadillos is the destruction of their habitats to make room for livestock.

Brazilian three banded armadillo categorized as a vulnerable species on the IUCN Red List. Such a poor, but hopefully with they are become a symbol of World Cup mascot, the awareness of people about this animal become as big as big enthusiastic to welcome and celebrate world cup.