Although their backs are covered by a hard shell made of bone, most armadillos defend themselves from predators by scurrying away and digging in the dirt. Armadillos have poor vision but are not blind and have the ability to remain underwater for as long as six minutes. Because of the weight of its armor, an armadillo will sink in water unless it inflates its stomach with air, which often doubles its size. Their average length is about 75 centimeters (30 inches), including tail; the Giant Armadillo reaches roughly 90 cm (3 ft), while the pink fairy armadillos are diminutive species with an overall length of 12-15 cm (4-5 in). All species are native to the Americas, where they inhabit a variety of environments.

Incredible Creatures Saltwater Crocodile Crocodiles have more narrow snouts than alligators and their top and bottom teeth show when they close their mouth. The saltwater crocodile is an opportunistic predator capable of taking animals up to the size of an adult male water buffalo. It can survive months at a time without food it typically loiters in the water or basks in the sun through much of the day, usually preferring to hunt at night. A saltwater crocodile's speed underwater can be 15 to 18 miles per hour in short bursts, but when cruising can go 2 to 3 miles.

Once an optimal location is found, adult female widows often spend their entire lives in one place. Here they choose a mate and can produce four to nine egg sacs in one summer, each containing about 100-400 eggs. Usually, eggs incubate for twenty to thirty days. Rarely do more than one hundred survive through this process. These astonishing spiders paralyze prey trapped in their webs with a powerful venom. Although their venom is 15 times more poisonous than a rattlesnake's, their painful bites are usually not deadly to humans because they inject such a small amount.

 This marine iguana is found only on the Galapagos Islands. Through hundreds of years of evolution, they have adapted to feeding on seaweed in the ocean. The marine iguana can spend only a limited time in the cold sea, where it dives for algae. However, by swimming only in the shallow waters around the island they are able to survive single dives of up to half an hour at depths of more than 15 m. Due to the fact there is no fresh water available, they developed an internal system of separating the salt from the ocean water and expelling the salt by sneezing it out through their noses. The coating of salt can make their faces appear white.

Incredible Creatures Galapagos Sally Lightfoot Crab These colorful crustaceans of the Galapagos Islands were named by British sailors after the bar ladies in merry old England, who often had bright orange hair like the body of the crab. Sally Lightfoot's have five pairs of legs, the front two bearing small, blocky, symmetrical chelae. The other legs are broad and flat, with only the tips touching the substrate. They have remarkable eyes and an extremely fast reaction time. While walking on their tiptoes, they seem to be able to run in any of four directions; but more than this, perhaps because of their rapid reaction time, they appear to read the mind of their hunter.

The dodo, which has been extinct since the mid-late 17th century, lived on the island of Mauritius off the coast of Africa and ate fruit and nested on the ground. Because it never learned to defend itself, it was hunted into extinction by humans. The dodo is a close relative of modern pigeons and doves. Dodos were very large birds weighing about 50 pounds, but they had very small wings and their sternum was insufficient to support flight. These birds had no fear of other predators, thus receiving there name the "Dodo" which in other languages means "fool" or "crazy".

The Galapagos Giant Tortoise is one of the best-known endemic species of the Galapagos Islands. These islands are a series of volcanic, equatorial islands located 600 miles off the coast of Ecuador. The tortoises are believed  to have floated from the mainland on ocean currents and grew in size through time due to the lack of predators. This Giant Tortoise also gave the islands their name "Galapago," from the Spanish word for saddle. The saddle look of the shell was due to 1,000s of years of the tortoise's neck being stretched up to reach the lush vegetation that was not on ground level. Between the years 1830 and 1860, over 100,000 tortoises were eaten by whalers. In fact, the whalers, who had no access to fresh meat, discovered that they would live up to 2 years without food or water in the hauls of their boats. They eat cacti, fruits, vines, grasses and other vegetation. The Galapagos Tortoises are endangered and some species are already extinct. See more of this Incredible endangered species: Click Here

Oviraptors were feathered dinosaurs discovered in the Gobi desert in Mongolia. Even though they had feathers, they could not fly. Instead, they ran very quickly on their two hind legs. The word "Oviraptor" means "egg-thief" which was believed to be what they did to get food. More recent discoveries suggest that the eggs found next to the dinosaur fossils were their own. In fact, fossils indicate that Oviraptors sat on their eggs with the arms bent backwards in a shielding or protecting pose, much like Ostriches. They lived towards the end of the Cretaceous period, about 88-70 million years ago. To find out more about dinosaurs: www.carnegiemnh.org

Great White Sharks are some of the scariest animals in the world, especially because of their size, their 3,000 sharp pointy teeth, and their ability to smell blood: they can detect one drop of blood in 25 gallons of water! The biggest Great White Shark ever caught was 21 feet long (that's the length of 2 cars parked in front of each other!) but scientists believe that their ancestors might have measured up to 50 feet. Unfortunately the Great White Shark is in danger of extinction due to over fishing. For more information on how to help the Great White Shark and other aquatic animals: www.mbayaq.org

Although hippopotami (that's the plural of hippopotamus) seem like very docile animals, they are one of the most dangerous animals in the world. Their mouths can open up to 4 feet wide and their teeth grow up to 28 inches long. Scientists estimate that more people are killed in Africa by hippopotami than by lions, crocodiles, and tigers. Some towns have even been completely abandoned or moved away from the hippopotamus' habitat to prevent them from attacking. Their name means "river horse" because they live in the rivers and wetlands of Africa. Find other wild animals: Click here

Flamingos get their distinctive pink color from eating organisms like shrimp and crabs, which have a pink or reddish color, as well as algae and aquatic insects. When they eat, they put their head upside down in the water and suck in water and mud that carry small creatures. The water and mud are then spit out from the sides of the beak, leaving the creatures in their mouth. Flamingos are very social animals. They sometimes gather in groups of thousands. You can find them along lakes and lagoons, and sometimes by the sea. Look for more birds from around the world: Click here

Emperor penguins are the biggest of penguins, growing to about 4 feet tall. Although they are birds, they cannot fly. They live in Antarctica where it is cold all year long, so they need protection against the cold. They have a lot of feathers to protect them from the cold: about 24 feathers in an area the size of your pinky finger! They also huddle together during storms to keep warm with the body heat that is created. During mating season, they display brilliant orange ear patches which attract mates. To look for more penguins and other sea life: Click Here

Brachiosaurus get their name not because of their long neck, but because of their upper arm bone, which is longer than most people are tall! Brachiosaurus were about 60 feet tall: just imagine looking down a 5-story building, and that's how tall you would be if you were a brachiosaurus. Their neck was so long that believe if they stretched it up completely, their heart would not be able to pump blood all the way up there! They lived in the United States, North Africa, and Southwest Europe, and appeared in the movie Jurassic Park. Find which dinosaur is your favorite: Click Here

Collies come in many different colors: brown and white, tricolor, blue-gray, and all white. They can also have short, hard hairs or long, soft, and flowing ones. Collies were first bred as work dogs. The collies with short hair were used to herd cattle to market, while the ones with long hair herded sheep in the very cold climate of the northern Scottish hills. They make great dogs for farms and for homes. The most famous Collie was an actor in his own TV show Lassie. See which dogs would make good pets for you. Click Here

Clydesdales were originally bred from some of the strongest of horses to make one very strong horse to be used for agricultural work and to haul coal from mines. Their big knees are important when pulling heavy machinery. Clydesdales and other horses have very good eyesight. They can see as well as owls at night. Often, their eyes are covered to prevent them from getting scared or distracted. Clydesdales are so popular and beautiful that they participate in competitions and parades. Do you like horses? Check them out: Click Here

The Spanish first brought longhorn bulls to America over 500 years ago. They are very hardy animals that can withstand blizzards, droughts, dust storms, and attacks by other animals. They use their horns for both defense and to attack. These sharp horns normally measure 6 feet from tip to tip, but they can be as wide as 8 feet: much wider than humans are tall! When two wild longhorn bulls meet, there is sure to be a fight. The loser is normally killed by the other bull. How many farm animals can you name? Click Here

During the mid-1900s, so many alligators were killed that scientists thought they were going to become extinct. Thankfully, this has stopped and they are now numerous. Female alligators protect their eggs and babies for up to two years. Baby alligators can be as small as 6 inches, so they have a lot of predators. Sometimes even the older siblings eat the newborn babies. Although they have 80 teeth, alligators do not chew their food. They swallow their prey whole and digest it slowly. Since they do bite on hard things like shells and bone to catch the prey, their teeth fall often. This is not a problem for them since they can just replace them with new ones. In a lifetime, an alligator can go through 3,000 teeth! Look for more incredible creatures: Click Here

Ladybugs are a type of beetle. There are nearly 5,000 different species of ladybugs throughout the world. They chew from side to side instead of up and down like people do. Their favorite food are aphids: small insects that feed by sucking the sap from plants. In some parts of the world farmers use ladybugs instead of pesticides to control their pests. They eat the flies and larvae that can damage crops. Ladybugs fly with their inner wings, which are protected by the hard forewings. The forewings are normally red, orange, or yellow with black spots, but some species' are striped or of a solid color.

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Dragons have never existed in the real world. They are invented creatures that exist in stories, art, and people's imagination. It is believed that dragons originated from art portraying snakes, eels, and lizards. As time went on and the art became more elaborate, these common animals started looking like the Chinese dragons we find in art nowadays. Another theory states that dinosaur bones were thought be the bones of dragons. People started telling stories about these enormous and ferocious creatures, and the dragon was born in people's imagination. The world of knights and dragons awaits: Click Here

Becoming a knight was no easy task. Only boys of noble birth could go through the process, which began at age 7. The little boy, who first had to become a page, would go to another nobleman's house to learn manners and good behavior to be able to serve a knight and the noble ladies. At 14, the boy would become a squire and learn how to use weapons and look after the armor and horses. Sometimes he would even go to battle with his master to help him out. If he was successful, he would be knighted at age 21. Many medieval knights, like the one pictured here, slept on their saddle so as not to dirty their expensive, heavy, and elaborate armor. Check out our other knights and horses: Click Here

Bison, also known as the American Plains Buffalo, were originally found in the open plains of the United States and Canada. It is estimated that between 60 and 100 million of them could be found roaming on the North American Continent at one time. Bison were an important part of Native American lifestyle since the bison provided them with food, clothing, and shelter. Unfortunately, in the 19th century bison were almost hunted to extinction. Only about 750 of them were left. The few bison left in the wild in North America can now be found in national parks and preserves. Some bison are raised for meat and hides for humans. Find other animals that lived in North America: Click Here

Seahorses can be found in the water throughout most of the world's warm and temperate coasts. There are about 35 species of seahorses ranging from ¼ inch to 1 foot in length. Unlike most other animals, it is the male seahorse that gets pregnant with the babies. The female lays her eggs in the male's pouch, which he carries until they are ready to be born (about 2 weeks). Seahorses have many predators (crabs, fish, rays) but storms kill most of them. In China, seahorses have been harvested for centuries to make medicine. The animal world is amazing! Search for other incredible creatures: Click here