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This article is a part of Her Campus Northwestern’s Dillo Day Week – a week full of themed content on everything related to Northwestern’s Dillo Day music festival happening this Saturday, June 2.
What is the animal that Northwestern’s annual music festival, Dillo Day, is named after? The word armadillo has a Spanish origin and translates as “little armored one.” The animal has earned its name for the bony plates on its body. According to National Geographic, no other mammal has such an armor, making the armadillo one of a kind. Out of the 20 different breeds of armadillo, only one lives in the United States.
The armadillo’s cousins are the sloth and anteaters. Their size can be very small, from a mere few ounces to about five feet. Only one armadillo can actually use its shell to protect itself from predators.
They are also very versatile, able to survive in tropical and desert climates, as well as the savannah. They sleep for 16 hours! Their favorite food are insects, which they find with their sense of smell, making up for the lack of good eyesight. Their sharp claws help them dig in the ground for such critters.
All in all, the armadillo is a unique mammal that has one of the most noteworthy student-ran festivals named after it.
Gif Courtesy of Giphy