Four minutes of an armadillo digging a hole

With a leathery shell and front leg claws made for digging, armadillos burrow to find food and to make underground shelters. The armadillo in the video above, identified as a six-banded or yellow armadillo by YouTuber Fauna and Flora, digs U-shaped burrows with a single opening. “Unlike the moles, that throw the soil to a side while digging,” explains Wikipedia, “the six-banded armadillo digs with its forefeet and throws the soil behind with its hindfeet.” Read on…

Armadillos are small to medium-sized mammals. The smallest species, the pink fairy armadillo, is roughly chipmunk-sized at 85 g (3.0 oz) and 13–15 cm (5.1–5.9 in) in total length. The largest species, the giant armadillo, can be the size of a small pig and weigh up to 54 kg (119 lb), and can be 150 cm (59 in) long. They are prolific diggers. Many species use their sharp claws to dig for food, such as grubs, and to dig dens. The nine-banded armadillo prefers to build burrows in moist soil near the creeks, streams, and arroyos around which it lives and feeds. The diets of different armadillo species vary, but consist mainly of insects, grubs, and other invertebrates. Some species, however, feed almost entirely on ants and termites.

Armadillo means “little armored one” in Spanish.

Next, one of our favorite videos: A Baby Nine-Banded Armadillo found in a yard in Texas.

Plus: Rollie, a southern three-banded armadillo, playing.