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If you've seen best-picture contender Black Panther leading up to this weekend's Academy Awards, you probably marveled (gulp) at the title character's vibranium suit. It's pretty much the coolest armor ever made.

Except, perhaps, for some animals who make their own. Shells, exoskeletons, scales-it makes us wonder about these real-life super suits. Just how strong are they?

Meet the animals that scientists have turned to for body armor "bioinspiration."

Armadillos

Despite reports of bullets ricocheting off armadillos, these creatures aren't bulletproof. Their shells are made of bony plates called osteoderms that grow in the skin. They're loosely connected for flexibility and are covered by a layer of keratin, the protein that makes up hair, nails, and horns, says Mariella Superina, chair of the IUCN's anteater, sloth, and armadillo specialist group, via email.

"The shell protects the armadillos from thorny shrubs, under which they can hide from predators," she says. But if a predator like a dog or raptor does get to them, they can still pretty easily break the shell. Think of their armor more like a hard-shelled suitcase than a bulletproof vest.

Nonetheless, the armadillo's segmented osteoderms inspired researchers at Montreal's McGill University to create a protective material out of glass plates segmented into hexagons and set atop a soft substrate. The material proved to be 70 percent more puncture-resistant than a continuous plate of the same thickness.

Abalone

This squishy gastropod lives in a shell that's like a "bricks and mortar structure," says Marc Meyers of the Jacobs School of Engineering at the University of California, San Diego. Meyers began studying animal as models for armor development 20 years ago for the U.S. Army.

The abalone makes numerous layers of calcium carbonate (chalk) plates, one-two hundredths the width a human hair and bound with a glue-like protein. Though chalk can brittle, abalone shells layer it like bricks, which makes it extra tough. And the protein-the "mortar"-allows the plates to slide so the shell can absorb impact without shattering.

Meyers and team hope that a better understanding of how the abalone shell's structure works could help develop better bulletproof body armor for soldiers and police.

Arapaimas

"The arapaima is the piscine equivalent of the battleship," Meyers says of these massive freshwater fish. They grow up to 10 feet long and can live in the close quarters with piranhas in the Amazon's seasonal lakes, without fear of piranhas' formidable chompers.

Arapaima armor consists of staggered layers of flexible scales made from layers of collagen and sealed in a mineralized cover, Meyers and his team found. They made their discovery by attaching piranha teeth to an industrial hole punch and bringing it down on arapaima scales embedded in rubber to mimic the fish's muscle. The teeth can make it through one layer, but arapaimas have an average of three layers.

These tough yet flexible scales provide yet another inspiration to engineers looking to develop better armor. The tough outer layer prevents predators from biting through the scales, and the collagen has enough give to allow for significant impact before breaking. The scale's corrugated surface helps it keep its integrity.

Ironclad Beetles

The ironclad beetle of the southwestern U.S. and Mexico is so tough that specimens can't be pinnedto boards. It takes a drill or hammer to get through these hard bodies. When threatened, some species yank their legs and antennae into special grooves in their shell, leaving frustrated predators outside their fortress of super tough solitude. ( Learn about why insect populations are plummeting.)

Their thick exoskeletons are made of chitin, a polysaccharide, arranged such that one species, the diabolical ironclad beetle, can be run over by a car and still survive. Their compression-resistant exoskeletons also help prevent dehydration by providing the ability to collect, transport, and store water.

The tough exoskeleton and flexible legs of the ironclad beetle served as inspiration for defense contractor BAE Systems as it was developing suspension systems that would make military vehicles more able to withstand blast damage.

Pangolins

" Pangolins are covered with large, overlapping plates made entirely of keratin," Superina says. In fact, they're the only known mammal to have true scales and are affectionately known as "scaly anteaters." The scales seem like they could be unwieldy-but not for these cuties from Asia and Africa.

Pangolin means "roller" in Malay for good reason. When a pangolin feels threatened, it rolls into a ball, using its scales as tough outer armor.

Their scales, made of keratin, are lightweight but surprisingly fracture-resistant thanks to the way the keratin is organized. And when the scales do crack, the cracks are directed away from the underlying soft tissue. Scientists at Northwestern who published a study on the structure of pangolin scales in 2017 say that this understanding could pave the way for body armor designed to deflect cracks.

" A lion cannot get a pangolin," says Meyers. It leaves no place for a snack attack.

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These animals inspire better body armor for humans

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If you've seen best-picture contender Black Panther leading up to this weekend's Academy Awards, you probably marveled (gulp) at the title character's vibranium suit. It's pretty much the coolest armor ever made. Except, perhaps, for some animals who make their own. Shells, exoskeletons, scales-it makes us wonder about these real-life super suits.

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Where armadillos live is dependent on soil type, they prefer sandy or loam soils which are loose and porous, making it easier to dig for food and make burrows.

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There are some armadillos that carry leprosy but most don't. Listen to this delightful podcast to learn about these delightful bois!

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121: Nine-banded Armadillo w/ Carly Haywood!

Episode Summary

<p>Join Ellen & special guest Carly Haywood for a review of the scaly, pig-snouted friends of the underbrush: nine-banded armadillos! In this episode, we discuss whether you should be afraid of getting leprosy from an armadillo, what "pancaking" is and why they do it, and little tiny clone parades scuttling through the underbrush.</p> <p>You can follow Carly on Twitter at <a href="https://twitter.com/MotherOfDasypus">@MotherOfDasypus</a> :)</p> <p>Cover photo: Svetlana Foote, via Getty images</p>

Episode Notes

Join Ellen & special guest Carly Haywood for a review of the scaly, pig-snouted friends of the underbrush: nine-banded armadillos! In this episode, we discuss whether you should be afraid of getting leprosy from an armadillo, what "pancaking" is and why they do it, and little tiny clone parades scuttling through the underbrush.

You can follow Carly on Twitter at @MotherOfDasypus :)

Cover photo: Svetlana Foote, via Getty images

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121: Nine-banded Armadillo w/ Carly Haywood!

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Join Ellen & special guest Carly Haywood for a review of the scaly, pig-snouted friends of the underbrush: nine-banded armadillos! In this episode, we discuss whether you should be afraid of getting leprosy from an armadillo, what "pancaking" is and why they do it, and little tiny clone parades scuttling through the underbrush.

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Probably not a great pet...they need space to roam and dig and are active at night!

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Armadillos can be hairy. There is a species called the Andean Hairy Armadillo. They're absolutely ADORABLE.

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Out of the 20-something species that exist, only one (the Nine-Banded Armadillo) can be found in the U.S. Their territory has expanded north due to climate change. Unique to this type of Armadillo is the fact they  birth identical young... TWINS!?!
Also, Armadillos are known carriers of Leprosy. So keep your distance...

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To add on to Kristin's, the Pink Fairy Armadillo pumps blood through it's shell to regulate it's body temp, and the shell isn't even attached to its BODY.

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The lifespan of an armadillo ranges from 4 to 30 years.

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Miriam already said something similar, but I found it interesting that scientists have linked armadillos with cases of leprosy in the US. "Scientists learned in the 1960s that armadillos are susceptible to leprosy.  In fact, a small percentage already have the disease. This is largely because the animal has an unusually low body temperature of 90˚ Fahrenheit, 8 degrees lower than humans, which favors the bacterium, Mycobacterium leprae (M. leprae)." (Source: https://www.foodsafetynews.com/2011/05/leapin-lizards-dillos-carry-leprosy/)

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Of the 20 varieties of armadillo, all but one live in Latin America. The familiar nine-banded armadillo is the only species that includes the United States in its range. Closely related to anteaters and sloths, armadillos generally have a pointy or shovel-shaped snout and small eyes.

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Scientific Name:

Dasypodidae

Average Life Span In Captivity:

12 to 15 years

Weight:

3 ounces to 120 pounds

Size relative to a 6-ft man:

Of the 20 varieties of armadillo, all but one live in Latin America. The familiar nine-banded armadillo is the only species that includes the United States in its range.

Armadillo is a Spanish word meaning "little armored one" and refers to the bony plates that cover the back, head, legs, and tail of most of these odd looking creatures. Armadillos are the only living mammals that wear such shells.

Closely related to anteaters and sloths, armadillos generally have a pointy or shovel-shaped snout and small eyes. They vary widely in size and color, from the 6-inch-long, salmon-colored pink fairy armadillo to the 5-foot-long, dark-brown giant armadillo. Others have black, red, gray, or yellowish coloring.

Contrary to popular belief, not all armadillos are able to encase themselves in their shells. In fact, only the three-banded armadillo can, curling its head and back feet and contorting its shell into a hard ball that confounds would-be predators.

Habitat and Diet

Armadillos live in temperate and warm habitats, including rain forests, grasslands, and semi-deserts. Because of their low metabolic rate and lack of fat stores, cold is their enemy, and spates of intemperate weather can wipe out whole populations.

Most species dig burrows and sleep prolifically, up to 16 hours per day, foraging in the early morning and evening for beetles, ants, termites, and other insects. They have very poor eyesight, and utilize their keen sense of smell to hunt. Strong legs and huge front claws are used for digging, and long, sticky tongues for extracting ants and termites from their tunnels. In addition to bugs, armadillos eat small vertebrates, plants, and some fruit, as well as the occassional carrion meal.

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Scientific Name: Dasypodidae Average Life Span In Captivity: 12 to 15 years Weight: 3 ounces to 120 pounds Size relative to a 6-ft man: Of the 20 varieties of armadillo, all but one live in Latin America. The familiar nine-banded armadillo is the only species that includes the United States in its range.

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The super-endangered Giant Armadillo in Brazil is basically out there, doing the opposite of gentrification.
I definitely did not watch this PBS Nature episode instead of doing more work in Alludo.
Deep in the heart of the Brazilian wetlands, the mysterious and secretive Giant armadillo digs a new burrow every other night. Once this termite-eater moves on, it leaves behind one of the hottest plots of real estate in the tropical Pantanal for 80 species of diverse and ever-changing animal clientele.

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Brazil's remote Pantanal, covering more than 80,000 square miles, is the largest tropical wetland in the world. It is chiefly made up of flooded grassland with patches of dry savannah or forest and home to a large and diverse wildlife population, including one of the most ancient of living mammals, the highly secretive Giant armadillo.

Hotel Armadillo follows the work of conservation biologist Arnaud Desbiez, who founded the Giant Armadillo Project, and his team. The Project is supported by more than 40 zoos and aquariums worldwide.

Not much was known about its life in the wild until recently because it is rare, nocturnal, solitary, and wary of people. It also digs a new underground burrow, up to 20 feet deep, every other night where it spends 75 percent of its life. So researchers studying these animals spend time locating their burrows, hoping to spot and track the Giant armadillos. What they didn't anticipate was what happens when the elusive animal vacates its spacious temporary abode and moves on.

The filmmakers accompany Desbiez and his team as they return to check whether the newly developed camera trap by a burrow has captured any footage of its female occupant whom they've named Tracy, named after the first Giant armadillo researcher Tracy Carter. The cameras begin recording when triggered by the tiniest of movements whether it is day or night. The rare footage shows a cautious Tracy emerging from her home using her acute sense of smell and hearing to examine her surroundings before heading off to spend the night feeding on termites. The team is jubilant with these results and then begin to notice something unexpected.

The new camera gear Desbiez is using for this expedition enables capturing more continuous images from above and below ground. The footage shows how other species quickly take possession of the Giant armadillo's roomy burrow, once it checks out. Not only has this ancient creature, which first appeared some 50 million years ago, left a large underground shelter for its neighbors, but the newly-excavated earth also provides food for them in the form of insects and roots.

As the team tracks four Giant armadillos, each fitted with a tiny transmitter, they are learning more about the mysterious animal. It appears an individual can have a home range of up to six square miles and may excavate more than 150 burrows in a single year. So far, 80 different species have been recorded checking into one of the Giant armadillo's rooms such as its smaller cousin, the six-banded armadillo; tamanduas (small anteaters), who leave their babies there while foraging; rodents; ocelot; brocket deer; and lizards. This leads Desbiez to theorize that the Giant armadillo could be crucial to the survival of the entire Pantanal ecosystem.

The film states that the animal's habitat is being impacted by an increase in ranching which uses fire to encourage new growth. Desbiez sees flames in the distance as he locates a burrow with its entrance sealed. That's a sign there's a baby inside. Its mother Isabelle had an earlier offspring that was the first baby Giant armadillo Desbiez studied, until killed by a puma at less than two years old. The team replays the latest camera footage to see if Isabelle has emerged with her new baby so their research can continue and the Giant armadillo population gets an addition.

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Brazil's remote Pantanal, covering more than 80,000 square miles, is the largest tropical wetland in the world. It is chiefly made up of flooded grassland with patches of dry savannah or forest and home to a large and diverse wildlife population, including one of the most ancient of living mammals, the highly secretive Giant armadillo.

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Emily Tsay- Armadillos can put their pregnancies on hold

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Emily Tsay- Armadillos can put their pregnancies on hold

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Nine-banded armadillos can put their pregnancies on hold. Like several other types of mammals, including bears and badgers, armadillos practice delayed implantation. They can hold an embryo in a dormant state until conditions are good for a pregnancy. Armadillos gestate their embryos (usually four identical quadruplets) for about four months, but because of delayed implantation, babies usually aren't born until 8 months after mating.
https://www.livescience.com/20763-procreation-station-species-craziest-pregnancy.html

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Armadillos are good swimmers and can hold their breath for 4-6 minutes. They walk underwater across the bottom of streams. When facing larger bodies of water, they gulp air to create buoyancy and then dog paddle. This ability to swim allowed them to expand their range. Armadillos crossing the Rio Grande led to the nine-banded armadillo expanding across the United States during the 20th century.

https://www.treehugger.com/things-you-didnt-know-about-armadillos-4869732

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"When armadillos feel threatened they tend to run away into their burrows or into thorny vegetation where their armour protects them and predators cannot follow. Some species will jump 3-4ft in the air when they are surprised."

Source: https://onekindplanet.org/animal/armadillo/

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NO.
Despite reports of bullets ricocheting off armadillos, these creatures aren't bulletproof. Their shells are made of bony plates called osteoderms that grow in the skin. ... “The shell protects the armadillos from thorny shrubs, under which they can hide from predators,” she says.

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I Scream, You Scream, Armadillos Scream maybe for Ice Cream (and/or danger)!

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I Scream, You Scream, Armadillos Scream maybe for Ice Cream (and/or danger)!

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According to Treehugger.com, the screaming hairy armadillo (Chaetophractus vellerosus) has a second means of self defense… it screams. Check out this little cutie: Screaming Hairy Armadillo

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The Three Banded Armadillo is the only specie of armadillo that is able to curl into a ball to protect itself from predators. Most species of armadillos dig a hole to protect their stomach, leaving only their hard shell exposed. https://www.livescience.com/52390-armadillos.html

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German settlers in Texas called armadillos “Panzerschwein”, which means “tank pig” a. I think that’s awesome

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With very poor eyesight and hearing, armadillos rely on their strong sense of smell to hunt. They can smell things which are up to 20cm below the ground! They also have long straggly fur on their underside to allow them to feel what they are walking over, used similarly to a cat’s whiskers." https://onekindplanet.org/animal/armadillo/

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Amidillos swim and are able to hold their breath for six minutes.--- Robert De La Rosa http://wideopencountry.com

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According to onekindplanet.org, "Armadillos can swim well but, due to their heavy shell, they have to swallow air to inflate their stomach to give them buoyancy."

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They Sleep Up to 16 Hours Each Day!

"As nocturnal animals, armadillos perform most activities — foraging, eating, burrowing, mating — at night. During the daylight hours, they spend up to 16 hours sleeping, usually in burrows. Armadillos rarely share their burrows with other armadillos, although they do share them with tortoises, snakes, and rats."

(Fact shared by Stacy at 3:52am because I do NOT sleep as much as an armadillo and I am VERY jealous.)

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The Armadillo name comes from the Spanish “armado” which means “armoured”.

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The Nine-banded armadillo (the only one of the 20 species of armadillo that have expanded out of Latin America) is the official state small mammal of Texas, nicknamed the ‘hillbilly speed bump’ as they are hit on the roads so often. During the 1920s depression, the Nine-banded armadillo was eaten, referred to as the ‘Hoover Hog’ as a result of President Hoovers failure to keep meat on the tables.
(source: https://onekindplanet.org/animal/armadillo/)

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The smallest species of armadillo is the pink fairy armadillo - only 5-6" long and less than 1 lb in weight. (Source: https://www.havahart.com/armadillo-facts)

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Armadillos are the only other species on the planet (along with humans) that can catch leprosy.
(source: https://www.folly-farm.co.uk/zoo/meet-the-zoo-animals/six-banded-armadillo/)

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Latin name
Euphractus sexcinctus
Class
Mammalia
Order
Cingulata
Family
Chlamyphoridae
Fun facts about six banded armadillo

The six banded armadillo is also known as the yellow armadillo.

The name comes from the Spanish "armado" which means "armoured".

Armadillos are the only other species on the planet (along with humans) that can catch leprosy.

Conservation status
Least concern
The six banded armadillo can be found in the grasslands, open plains and rainforests of south America in and around Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay and Bolivia.

Like us, the six banded armadillo is most active during the day and likes to sleep at night in shelters or dens underground. These burrows are dug by the armadillo using their powerful shovel-like claws.

Unfortunately, they have poor eyesight so any hunting they do is by sense of smell alone.

Six banded armadillo questions and answers

What's their armour made of?
It's actually made of keratin.

Are they hunted?
They are. For their shell and their meat and because farmers view them as a pest.

What do they eat?
Well, they're omnivores, so that means they can eat plants and animals such as insects, ants, palm nuts and fruits.

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Six Banded Armadillo - Fun Facts & Information For Kids

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Latin name Euphractus sexcinctus Class Mammalia Order Cingulata Family Chlamyphoridae The six banded armadillo is also known as the yellow armadillo. The name comes from the Spanish "armado" which means "armoured". Armadillos are the only other species on the planet (along with humans) that can catch leprosy.