Renee Di Meco, age 10, of Visalia, Calif

Is the armadillo a mammal?

A mother armadillo with her babies is just about the cutest sight in the world. All of them look somewhat like armor‑plated little pigs and the youngsters, usually four of them, are miniature copies of the devoted mother. The children in the litter will be all girls or all boys.

Mrs. Armadillo feeds her babies on mothers milk for the first two months of life. This means that she is a mammal. Most of the mammals we know are fur‑coated fellows and it seems strange to learn that there are mammals that wear shells.