Why do armadillos have shells? Why are sloths slow?

But Why: A Podcast for Curious Kids

Vermont Public

Nature, Language, Kids & Family, Science

4.4 • 4.9K Ratings

🗓️ 2 December 2022

⏱️ 31 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Why do armadillos have shells? How do they roll into balls? Why are sloths so slow? Can sloths actually move fast? How do they defend against predators? Why do they have such long nails? We learn about two unique looking animals in this episode: sloths and armadillos. These mammals are part of an ancient superorder called Xenarthra and share a common ancestor. To get answers to kid questions about armadillos we took a field trip to Texas to talk with Michael Perez at the Forth Worth Nature Center and Refuge. And to learn about sloths, we interviewed Sam Trull of the Sloth Institute in Costa Rica.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hi, it's Jane. Before we get started, I want to tell you about another podcast we think you'll love.
0:05.5	Who Smarded?
0:07.2	Who Smarded gets elementary school kids excited about science and history, even if they weren't already,
0:13.3	and sparks conversation and natural curiosity.
0:16.5	Recent episodes include the history of camping, the science of hugs, and how toilets work.
0:22.5	Check out Who Smarded, wherever you get your podcasts.
0:49.1	This is But Why, a podcast for curious kids from Vermont Public.
0:53.2	I'm Jane Lindtel.
0:54.8	On this show, we take questions from curious kids just like you, and we find answers.
1:01.0	We love hearing the questions that are on your mind.
1:03.5	Since we started, you've sent us more than 12,000 questions, and so many of them are about one thing, animals.
1:12.9	You know what? That's okay with us, because Melody and I love animals as much as you do.
1:18.3	So today we're going to talk about two different, but related animals.
1:22.6	They're come from an interesting group of mammals called Xanarthra.
1:27.3	This is a group of animals that share some characteristics, including that they all look pretty unusual.
1:33.3	These animals originally started out in South America, and eventually moved into North America a couple million years ago.
1:40.1	Most of the animals that fit into the Xanarthra category are extinct now, including a giant ground sloth
1:46.9	that was up to 10 feet long.
1:49.4	But there are still three types of animals alive today that fit into this category.
1:54.8	Antideers, sloths, and armadillos.
1:58.4	Did you know that those animals are related?
2:00.9	When we say something is related, we don't mean their cousins.
	...

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