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Aquatic and Land Animal Diversity

Mammals

Why are nine-banded armadillos so amazing?

Nine-banded armadillos—found in the U.S. and Central and South America— are not well known to most people, but they have fascinating features for a mammal. For example, they are always born as same-sex identical quadruplets, and hungry armadillos can eat up to 40,000 ants at a single “meal.” They are also excellent in the water, holding their breath for up to ten minutes by inhaling air into their lungs, stomach, and intestines, all of which make them buoyant, too. They also can feel by walking along the bottom of a river or shallow lake—all by letting their breath out.



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