Archie The Armidillo Has Booked A Stay At The Bristol Zoo Gardens

Unusual addition to Bristol Zoo Gardens
 
A new addition has been made to Bristol Zoo Gardens in the form of Archie, a six-banded South American armadillo. 
                        
Two year old Archie is the newest member of Bristol Zoo’s expanding group of animals taking part in the daily Amazing Animals displays on the main lawn.
 
The displays allow visitors to see owls, parrots, lemurs, ferrets, hawks – and now also Archie – moving freely outdoors.  The animals only demonstrate natural behaviour, allowing visitors to appreciate their innate abilities and beauty. 
 
Visitors can usually see Archie in the Amazing Animals display daily at 2pm on the Zoo’s west lawn. Archie is currently the only armadillo at Bristol Zoo Gardens and the species is usually solitary.
 
“We are delighted to have Archie join us,” said Rick Newton, presentations manager at Bristol Zoo Gardens, “He is a superb addition to the displays and a real ambassador for his species.”
 
Jane Haakonsson, one of the keepers who cares for Archie, said: “Archie is by far the most surreal-looking animal at the Zoo, he continues to amaze me. He is truly worth watching and by far my favourite animal at Bristol Zoo.”
 
The six-banded armadillo is found in the dry savannah and grasslands of Brazil and Argentina, and is named for the six horizontal bands across the shell on its back.  These bands allow some flexibility of movement, but the species is not able to curl into a complete ball like other types of armadillo.
 
Armadillos
* The armadillo has been on Earth for at least 55 million years.
* There are 20 armadillo species in eight different genera, most of them being distinguished by the number of characteristic bands of flexible skin along their backs.
* Archie is a six-banded armadillo, which means he has six horizontal bands across the shell on his back.
* Some armadillos roll into a ball when threatened or disturbed.  Six-banded ones can curl up, but not into a complete ball.
* Six-banded armadillos are almost blind, and rely on excellent senses of smell and hearing.
* They are also diurnal, and are active through most of the day – unlike other armadillo species, which are mostly nocturnal.
* Armadillos live in the dry savannah and grasslands of South America, especially Brazil. They are the most common armadillo found in Argentina.
* They eat plants, insects and carrion.  At the zoo, Archie also gets mice or chicks as a treat!
* Armadillos are not considered endangered, but we still need to be careful and treat them with respect to make sure they don’t become endangered in the future.
* The six-banded armadillo is also known as the yellow armadillo, and their Latin name is Euphractus sexcinctus.
* Six-banded armadillos can weigh up to 6.5kg and have been known to live for up to 18 years in captivity (longer than they would live in the wild).
* Although Archie is on his own, armadillos are usually solitary in the wild.
* You will be able to see Archie in the ‘Amazing Animals’ displays on the main lawn at Bristol Zoo.  Shows are daily at 12pm and 2pm from March.
 
Bristol Zoo
* Bristol Zoo is open from 9am every day except Christmas Day. 
* The Zoo is an Education and Conservation Charity and relies on the income from visitors to support its work.  The Zoo is involved with over one hundred co-ordinated breeding programmes for threatened wildlife species. 
* It employs 140 full and part-time staff to care for the animals and run a successful visitor attraction to support its conservation and education work.  Bristol Zoo supports – through finance and skill sharing - over 10 projects in the UK and abroad that conserve and protect some of the world’s most endangered species.
* Bristol Zoo is a member of the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums.  BIAZA represents its member collections and promotes the values of good zoos and aquariums. 
 
Photo: Jane Haahonsson and Archie the Armadillo.