A study published in the journal iScience has revealed that African spiny mice possess spiny structures beneath the skin of their tails, similar to the bony or scaly armor found in armadillos. Previously, armadillos were considered the only living mammals with such. Acanthoplus discoidalis is a species in the Hetrodinae, a subfamily of the bush cricket or katydid family. This feature. Mammals, for the most part, have ditched the armor-like bony plates and scales found in creatures such as crocodiles, turtles, lizards, dinosaurs, and fish. Instead, they've opted for an insulating coat of hair. African spiny. Acanthoplus discoidalis, also known as armoured katydid, armoured ground cricket, armoured bush cricket, corn cricket, setotojane, and koringkriek, is a flightless insect native to parts of Angola, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, and South Africa.
[PDF Version]