The mascot for the World Cup is “Fuleco” a blue, three-banded armadillo from Brazil. In contrast, the three-banded armadillos at the Peoria Zoo are tan in color and originated in Paraguay.

In 1999, the Zoo acquired one male and two female armadillos that had been born in the wild. These animals were part of a plan to increase breeding and genetic diversity of the species in captivity. The breeding program at the Zoo has been very successful. The pairing of the male “Roller” and “EM” (aka EarthMover) produced “Toggle” and “Bandit”. The pairing of “Roller” and “Tank” has resulted in “Dozer”, “Scrapper”, “Tread”, “Plow”, “Digger”, “JD” and “Stomper”. The population plan is due soon, and Zoo officials expect that Tank and Roller will be recommended to breed again in 2014.

Most of the offspring have been transferred to other zoos but Scrapper and Dozer remain at the Zoo and are used in education programs. Like Fuleco, Scrapper and Dozer are used to educate people that they are amazing animals and threatened by habitat destruction and hunting.

Fun Facts

• They mark their territory with a scent.
• They are born soft and leathery, it takes a few weeks for them to develop their hard shell.
• They can smell a worm that is 8 inches underground.
• When threatened they will curl into a ball which protects them from most predators, except large ones like jaguars that can crack their shell.
• They are the only type of armadillo that can completely enclose themselves by rolling into a ball.
• They are classified as a toothless mammal but they have small primitive teeth at the sides of their jaws.
• The head plates are unique to each armadillo, like human fingerprints.

 For questions call the Peoria Zoo at (309) 681-3509 or check our website at www.peoriazoo.org.