In days gone by, huge monsters--their backs covered with bony armour--
ten feet and upwards in length, some perhaps of the bulk of the
rhinoceros, crawled along the plains of South America. They have become
creatures of the past, and their places have been taken by others of a
similarly curious formation, of which even the giant armadillo, when
compared to them, is a mere pigmy. These creatures abound in all parts
of the continent, from Paraguay to Venezuela; but, incased as they are
in coats of complete armour, and running so quickly, and so rapidly
digging into the earth, they can rarely be overtaken by the hunter.
The armadillo (Dasypus) belongs to the order of Edentata. The armour,
which covers the whole body, consists of a triangular plate on the top
of the head, a large buckler over the shoulders, and a similar one
covering the haunches; while between the solid portions a series of
transverse bands intervene in such a manner as to allow the creature to
move its body in a variety of postures. The tail is likewise covered
with a series of calcareous rings. It can, in consequence of this
peculiar conformation of its covering, roll itself up, like the
hedgehog, into a ball, and thus present a solid surface, impervious to
the attacks of birds of prey or small quadrupeds. The part over the
shell is covered with short hairs, which appear between the joints of
the armour. It has a pointed snout, long ears, thick, short limbs, and
powerful claws. With these claws it burrows with extraordinary
rapidity, and can inflict severe wounds.
The common armadillo, or the poyou, is about twenty inches in length,
including the tail. As its hearing is very acute, and it never ventures
far from its home during the daytime, it easily escapes the attacks of
its foes, with the exception of man. It readily takes to the water when
pursued, and swims well, but does not enter it by choice. The Indian
hunter, however, attacks the creature with a skill it cannot escape.
It is a curious fact that mosquitoes often inhabit the burrows of the
armadillo. The Indian, knowing this, as soon as he finds a burrow, puts
a short stick down it. If a number of insects come out, he knows there
is an animal within. When he finds no mosquitoes, he is sure there is
no armadillo. If he is satisfied that the armadillo is at home, he cuts
a long, slender stick, and introduces it into the hole, carefully
observing the line which it takes, and then sinks a pit in the sand to
catch the end of it. This done, he puts it further into the hole, and
digs another pit; till he at last comes up with the poor armadillo--
which has been making a passage in the sand, till, from its exertions,
it has lost all its strength.
The armadillo feeds on all vegetable or animal matter not too hard for
its sharp teeth. It is especially useful in devouring the offal or the
putrid carcasses of animals which might otherwise affect the air. In
spite of this coarse style of feeding, its flesh is esteemed by the
natives--who for the sake of it perseveringly hunt the poor creature
throughout the country.
The species are distinguished from one another chiefly by the number of
bands on the trunk of the body, between the shield on the
fore-shoulders, and that on the rump. Baron Cuvier, however, divides
the whole genus into five small groups,--distinguishing one from another
by the number and form of their teeth and claws.
The great armadillo (Dasypus gigas) has enormous claws and unequal toes,
with twenty-four broad teeth on both sides of its jaws. It measures,
exclusive of the tail, nearly three feet in length.
Darwin describes another, living on very dry soil, the pechy (Dasypus
minutus), which wanders by day over the open plains, and feeds on
beetles, leaves, roots, and even small snakes. So rapidly does it
burrow, that scarcely is one seen before its hind-quarters disappear in
the sand. It likewise tries to escape notice by squatting down close to
the ground.