| Giant armadillo | |
|---|---|
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| Giant armadilloforaging atNouragues Nature Reserve,Régina | |
Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Cingulata |
| Family: | Chlamyphoridae |
| Subfamily: | Tolypeutinae |
| Genus: | Priodontes F. Cuvier, 1825 |
| Species: | P. maximus |
| Binomial name | |
| Priodontes maximus (Kerr, 1792) | |
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| Giant armadillo range | |
Thegiant armadillo (Priodontes maximus), colloquiallytatu-canastra,tatou,ocarro ortatú carreta, is the largest livingspecies ofarmadillo (although their extinct relatives, theglyptodonts, were much larger). It lives in South America, ranging throughout as far south as northernArgentina.[3] This species is considered vulnerable to extinction.[1]
The giant armadillo preferstermites and someants as prey, and often consumes the entire population of atermite mound. It also has been known to prey upon worms, larvae and larger creatures, such as spiders and snakes, and plants.[4] Some giant armadillos have been reported to have eatenbees by digging intobeehives.[5]
The giant armadillo is the largest living species of armadillo, with 11 to 13 hinged bands protecting the body and a further three or four on the neck.[6] Its body is dark brown in color, with a lighter, yellowish band running along the sides, and a pale, yellow-white head. These armadillos have around 80 to 100 teeth, which is more than any other terrestrialmammal. The teeth are all similar in appearance, being reduced premolars and molars, grow constantly throughout life, and lackenamel.[7] They also possess extremely long front claws,[8] including a sickle-shaped third claw up to 22 cm (8.7 in) in length,[9] which are proportionately the largest of any living mammal.[7] The tail is covered in small rounded scales and does not have the heavy bonyscutes that cover the upper body and top of the head. The animal is almost entirely hairless, with just a few beige colored hairs protruding between the scutes.[7]
Giant armadillos typically weigh around 18.7–32.5 kg (41–72 lb) when fully grown, however a 54 kg (119 lb) specimen has been weighed in the wild and captive specimens have been weighed up to 80 kg (180 lb).[10][11][12] The typical length of the species is 75–100 cm (30–39 in), with the tail adding another 50 cm (20 in).[6]
Giant armadillos are found throughout much of northern South America east of theAndes, except for easternBrazil andParaguay. In the south, they reach the northernmost provinces ofArgentina, includingSalta,Formosa,Chaco, andSantiago del Estero. There are no recognised geographic subspecies. They primarily inhabit open habitats, withcerrado grasslands covering about 25% of their range,[13] but they can also be found in lowland forests.[7]
Giant armadillos are solitary andnocturnal, spending the day in burrows.[6] They also burrow to escape predators, being unable to completely roll into a protective ball.[14] Compared with those of other armadillos, their burrows are unusually large, with entrances averaging 43 cm (17 in) wide, and typically opening to the west.[15]
Giant armadillos use their large front claws to dig for prey and rip opentermite mounds. The diet is mainly composed of termites, althoughants,worms,spiders, otherinvertebrates, smallvertebrates andcarrion are also eaten.[6][16] Little is currently known about this species' reproductive biology, and no juveniles have ever been discovered in the field.[17] The average sleep time of a captive giant armadillo is said to be 18.1 hours.[18]
Some giant armadillos have been reported to have eatenbees by digging intobeehives.[19]
In a long-term study on the species, that started in 2003 in the Peruvian Amazon, dozens of other species of mammals, reptiles and birds were found using the giant armadillos' burrows on the same day, including the rareshort-eared dog (Atelocynus microtis). Because of this, the species is considered a habitat engineer, and thelocal extinction ofPriodontes may have cascading effects in the mammalian community by impoverishingfossorial habitat.[20] Additionally, the giant armadillo was once key to controllingleaf cutter populations which could destroy crops, but they can also damage crops themselves when digging through soil.[21]
Female giant armadillos have twoteats and have a gestational period of about five months. Evidence points to onlygiving birth once every three years.[citation needed][22] Little is known with certainty about their life history, although it is thought that the young are weaned by about seven to eight months of age, and that the mother periodically seals up the entrance to burrows containing younger offspring, presumably to protect them from predators. Although they have never bred in captivity, a wild-born giant armadillo atSan Antonio Zoo was estimated to have been around sixteen years old when it died.[7]
Hunted throughout its range, a single giant armadillo supplies a great deal of meat, and is the primary source of protein for some indigenous peoples. In addition, live giant armadillos are frequently captured for trade on the black market, and invariably die during transportation or in captivity.[23] Despite this species' wide range, it is locally rare. This is further exacerbated byhabitat loss resulting from deforestation.[1][23] Current estimates indicate the giant armadillo may have undergone a worrying population decline of 30 to 50 percent over the past three decades. Without intervention, this trend is likely to continue.[23]
The giant armadillo was classified as vulnerable on theWorld Conservation Union'sRed List in 2002, and is listed under Appendix I (threatened with extinction) of theConvention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna.
The giant armadillo is protected by law inColombia,Guyana,Brazil,Argentina,Paraguay,Suriname andPeru,[24][25] and commercial international trade is banned by its listing on Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).[23] However, hunting for food and sale in the black market continues to occur throughout its entire range.[23] Some populations occur in protected reserves, including theParque das Emas in Brazil,[26] and theCentral Suriname Nature Reserve, a massive 1.6-million-hectare site of pristine rainforest managed byConservation International.[27] Such protection helps to some degree to mitigate the threat ofhabitat loss, but targeted conservation action is required to prevent the further decline of this species.
At least one zoo park, inVillavicencio, Colombia –Los Ocarros – is dedicated to this animal.[citation needed]
This article incorporates text from theARKive fact-file "Giant armadillo" under theCreative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License and theGFDL.
Data related toPriodontes maximus at Wikispecies
