A member of a family (Dasypodidae) comprising nine genera and 21 species of omnivorous, burrowing mammals in which the upper and lower body surfaces consist of overlapping bony plates that allow some species to curl into a ball when threatened. Armadillos occur only in North, Central, and South America, and the only species found outside the South American tropics is the nine-banded armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus).