Armadillos do not hibernate however a moderate climate is essential to their survival as they cannot endure long periods of freezing weather. The creature’s armor like shell covers most of its body and provides a certain amount of protection; however it offers little insulation against cold weather. Armadillos will not expand into extreme northern climates due to the cold temperatures.
These creatures do not store much body fat, do not hibernate, and instead continue to forage year round. As winter arrives, their food supplies become scarce and frozen ground conditions prevent them from being able to dig in order to search for food. Since they cannot tolerate freezing temperatures, in order to escape the cold the armadillos often retreat underground. However, it should be noted that they are still unable to hibernate while doing this because they will either freeze or starve to death in these types of conditions.
Armadillos typically will dig a burrow 7 or 8 inches in diameter and up to 15 feet in length for shelter and to raise their young. Burrows are often located in rock piles, around stumps, brush piles, and in dense woodlands. They also may have several different burrow locations in a specific area that they use in order to escape from predators.
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