I saw some armadillos in the yard the other day. I read up about them and realized they are mammals and have a leathery armor shell.
That's so cool!  Do they just run wild like that?
They do. They are native to the Americas. They inhabit all types of different terrains and environments.
Wow, you're so lucky!  All I get in my yard is rabbits, and they eat my garden vegetables!  Were you able to get up close to it?
-rabbit": "āyōtl" (turtle) and "tōchtli" (rabbit). The Portuguese word for "armadillo" is "tatu" which derives from the Tupi language. Similar names are also found in other, especially European, languages.
Classification.
Family Dasypodidae
- Subfamily Dasypodinae
- Genus "Dasypus"
- Nine-banded armadillo or long-nosed armadillo, "Dasypus novemcinctus"
- Seven-banded armadillo, "Dasypus septemcinctus"
- Southern long-nosed armadillo,
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