Page 29 - Mammal (DK Eyewitness)

PLATED FOR PROTECTION
The armadillo resembles a mammalian
tank, with its bony scutes (plates) of armor
covered by horn. The scutes develop from
skin, and even the tail is armored. Only
some of the 20 armadillo species can
roll up into a ball. An alternative
defense is to “dig in” to protect the
softer, vulnerable underparts. NO ENTRY SIGN
The three-banded armadillo
(left) is able to roll itself up
completely, while the pink fairy
armadillo (below) digs a hole in
which it hides. Its armored
bottom acts as a barrier, rather
like a cork in a bottle.

Larger hairy armadillo
Allover armor

Three-banded armadillo

Black rhino horn
cut in half
Pink fairy armadillo
Horn is made
of matted Scales from
hair fibers ROOF TILES giant
The pangolin’s protective pangolin
scales over its body are like PLAYING DEAD
the overlapping tiles on a Opossums have an extraordinary
roof. This toothless anteating habit of pretending to be dead
mammal has a long, scaled when seized by a predator,
wraparound tail, and when it hence the phrase “playing
curls into a ball it is possum.” How the trick works is not
completely protected. Some clear; perhaps some predators who
types of traditional Chinese do not feed on already dead
warrior armor copied the animals just lose interest.
pangolin’s design.

The pangolin - a very
unmammal-like mammal Crested
porcupine quills

STRIPED
SPEARS
NO DEFENSE AGAINST THE GUN The porcupine’s
The word rhinoceros means “horn- sharp quills
nose, ” and there could be no better detach easily. When
name for the second largest of land in danger a porcupine will
mammals. These are museum horns, run backward into its attacker
collected many years ago from an and leave quills sticking into its skin.
African black rhino. Today rhinos are
rare, and some species are on the edge
of extinction, as people still kill
them for their horns - made
into dagger handles or
“medicines” that are in
fact useless.
Hollow
Skull bone tail quills
RATTLING WARNING
The crested porcupine’s tail has rattle quills. Rather than
get into a fight, this animal will rattle its hollow tail
quills to frighten the attacker away.