00:01What's hard on the outside, but cute and interesting on the inside?
00:06An armadillo!
00:11Armadillos come from the southern United States, Mexico, and Central and South America.
00:19Here at the San Diego Zoo, we have two southern three-banded armadillos, Coco and Armando Santiago.
00:28These armadillos have a very special job working as animal ambassadors to help teach people about this animal that's a
00:36little strange looking but really cool.
00:39There are 20 species of armadillo. The giant armadillo can grow to be over three feet long.
00:47But the southern three-banded armadillo, like Coco here, will only grow to be about 10 inches long.
00:56An armadillo's shell is made up of the same stuff as our fingernails and it acts as armor to protect
01:03the armadillo's head, body, underbelly, and limbs from predators.
01:11The pattern on each armadillo's head is unique to that animal.
01:17No two are alike. They have watery hair on their undersides which help them feel around at night.
01:26This is really helpful because the armadillos don't have very good eyesight.
01:31The three bands that cover the back of the armadillo are flexible.
01:35So when it gets scared, it can roll up and tuck its head and tail together, making a ball.
01:43When it's time to eat, the armadillo uses its strong claws and good sense of smell to find food, like
01:50ants and termites.
01:53Our armadillos are fed special ground-up pellets and they also eat fruits, vegetables, and mealworms.
02:01Yum! What foods do you like?
02:04So now you know what's going on under an armadillo's shell.
02:08Wouldn't you say it's a well-rounded animal? We do!
02:11We do!
02:12We do!
