Armadillos are the new world placental mammal
What does that mean? I know what an armadillo is, but not a placental mammal.
Not much information on that but i did find that the word armadillo means little armoured one in spanish
That would figure - they look as if they're wearing a suit of armor! Where did they originate from?
Armadillos came from Central America. Another fact is the aztects called them ayotochtli
Oh, can't even pronounce that! They must be old if they were around in Aztec times. When did they come to the US?
Recent studies show they came around about 35 million years ago
Interesting. Do you know what they eat, by chance?
Armadillo
Armadillos (from Spanish "little armoured one") are New World placental mammals in the order Cingulata. The Chlamyphoridae and Dasypodidae are the only surviving families in the order, which is part of the superorder Xenarthra, along with the anteaters and sloths. Nine extinct genera and 21 extant species of armadillo have been described, some of which are distinguished by the number of bands on their armour. All species are native to the Americas, where they inhabit a variety of different environments. 
Armadillos are characterized by a
large number of cheek teeth which are not divided into premolars and molars, but usually have no incisors or canines. The dentition of the nine-banded armadillo is P 7/7, M 1/1 = 32.
Characteristics Body temperature.
In common with other xenarthrans, armadillos, in general, have low body temperatures of and low basal metabolic rates (40–60% of that expected in placental mammals of their mass). This is particularly true of types that specialize in using termites as their primary food source (for example, "