Armadillos have shells so hard they can deflect a bullet.

Armadillos have shells so hard they can deflect a bullet.

Armadillos. Despite reports of bullets ricocheting off armadillos, these creatures aren't bulletproof. Their shells are made of bony plates called osteoderms that grow in the skin. ... “The shell protects the armadillos from thorny shrubs, under which they can hide from predators,” she says.

The thickness of the shell varies between the species, but in no case is the shell thick; nine-banded armadillo shells are roughly one-tenth of an inch thick. Even though the bones are very thin, the shell can account for up to 15 percent of an armadillo's weight.

Armadillos are resistant to BB guns. Even the weakest of real firearms easily penetrates an armadillo's plating and kills them.

The armadillo's hard shell, called a carapace, is made of bone and a tough tissue coating. You'll find a lot of diversity in size and form within the armadillo order, Cingulata. ... Despite its petite size, the pink fairy armadillo still has a tough shell shielding its head and back.

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