Armadillo Reading Activity
- 1. 21.02.11 Armadillos Remembering - What are the facts? 1. An armadillo is the size of a cat or small dog. 2. The difference between an armadillo and other mammals is that an armadillo has a large shell-like armour, unlike any other mammal. 3. My 4 Questions: a)How many babies does a armadillo give birth to at a time? b)Whereabouts is an armadillo’s usual habitat? c)What is the usual life span for an armadillo in the wild? Understanding - Show that you understand the information 4. Diagram to show what happens when an armadillo is startled:
- 2. 5. Rewrite a paragraph in the report using just trigger words to help you. Armadillos can hold their breath for up to 6 minutes but prefer to swim across any rivers that meander through their habitat. This is no simple task as their heavy shell causes them to sink. To solve this problem, an armadillo will swallow air to make their stomach twice its usual size. This makes them buoyant enough to half swim, half float across the river. Applying - Using information in another way 6. Poem about armadillos: Armadillos have many different burrows at any one time. Rounds up young to feed Makes nests in its burrow out of leaves and moss. Ants are a big part of their diet Doesn’t like cold weather Insectivores Lives in burrows Likes to jump when startled Only ever gives birth to four baby armadillos Swims across rivers once sucked in enough air to become buoyant. 7. A day in the life of an armadillo: Dear Diary, I, Dilly Dillo the Armadillo, finally found a good place to start digging my burrow. My sister Dolly helped me find the perfect spot, and together, we decided she would build her burrow next to mine. I already have about seven or eight burrows on the other side of the
- 3. river that I am renting out to the homeless, I’m sure they are very grateful. I made a little bed at the end of my burrow out of pine needles and leaves which is very comfortable, although a tad prickly. I must make it softer though as I have babies on the way. I put off their birth for about seven or eight months as the weather was no good, but I do believe it is now perfect so any day now. Dolly has just had her first litter of babies, gorgeous they all are, and I stand as the proud aunt. I am now about to go and find my evening meal. I believe their is a good ant nest on the other side of the river so I’ll start sucking in air now so I’m buoyant enough to float across. Ok, I got back from getting dinner, an eventful trip it was! Here’s what happened... So I was on the other side of the river and you’ll never guess, a hunter was right there, gun barrel pointed straight at me. A frightened armadillo I must of been as I jumped straight up in the air. I then ran off before any damage was done. Once I got back to the burrow, something awful happened. I large cat was in the bottom of my burrow, trying to mess up my bed. By now I’m sure I’m about to have these babies so I’m get worried. I crush the head of the cat against the roof of the burrow with my hard shell, then pull the dead body out of my burrow and stick it in the river. I race back to my burrow, and safely deliver four beautiful wee souls, I named the baby girls Jilly and Tilly and the two boys Pilly and Billy Have a nice day! Dilly, xx Analysing - Identifying the features that help armadillos survive. 8. Information Web: Evaluating - How safe is an Armadillo? 9. Predator Rating 1 = No danger from predators - 10 = very high danger from predators
- 4. I think I would give the danger to Armadillos a rating of about 5/10. This is because I think that their danger is half and half. There are many different predators that eat/catch armadillos as well as hunters. Although these predators can be fatal to armadillos, they have safe burrows, hard shells and good run away plans to surprise predators. 10. Extinction Rating 1 = No risk of extinction - 10 = Very close to extinction. Nine banded Armadillos are not an endangered species, but there are many risks and threats to them. Accordingly, Armadillos are of least concern although people are watching them closely and trying to eliminate as many risks as possible. Therefore, I give the nine banded Armadillo and extinction rating of 3/10. 11. Creating - Making improvements