What's in a Name: Armadillo - National Zoo| FONZ

Armadillo

The word “armadillo” is Spanish in origin, and it means “little armored one.” The nine-banded armadillo is the only armadillo native to the United States; it also lives in South and Central America. The Aztecs called it azotochtli, meaning “tortoise-rabbit,” presumably because it has a carapace of hard plates on its back and head that resemble a tortoise shell, and rabbit-like ears. Linnaeus later named its genus Dasypus—“rabbit” in Greek—and its species novemcinctus, which means “nine bands” in Latin. Strangely named armadillos include the screaming hairy armadillo (Chaetophractus vellerosus), which squeals when threatened, and the pink fairy armadillo (Chlamyphorus truncatus), the smallest armadillo and bearer of a pale pink shell.

Armadillos, sloths, and anteaters once belonged to the order Edentata, which means “toothless” in Latin. Although all modern members of this order lack incisors and canines, the designation was a misnomer—only anteaters have no teeth. In fact, the giant armadillo (Priodontes maximus) can have as many as 100. The order was renamed Xenarthra, meaning “strange joint” in Greek, to describe these animals' unusual vertebrae.

According to ancient Mayan myth, the sun god Hachakyum created armadillos to exact revenge. He persuaded two lesser gods who had angered him to sit on a bench, then changed the bench into a pair of armadillos that leapt into the air, knocking the gods to the ground and humiliating them.

Armadillo

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