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Article: The Armored Pig.(armadillos)
- Article from:
- The World and I
- Article date:
- August 1, 1999
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1999 News World Communications, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Relying on their strong suit of armor and their ability to eat almost anything, stay out of sight, and colonize waste habitats, armadillos have survived for 55 million years.
As the sun disappears behind the horizon and numerous creatures settle in for the night, a quiet mammal tentatively projects its long, pointed snout toward its burrow entrance. Relying on its keen sense of smell, it reassures itself that the way is clear of would-be predators. No sooner has it emerged than it busily shuffles through the brush, clawing open woody debris, pushing its snout through leaf litter and wet soil, single-minded in its pursuit of food. Grubs, beetles, worms, and other ...