Giant Armadillo Illustration © Bruce Pearson

Giant Armadillo Priodontes maximus

All armadillo's have a distinctive tough carapace made from bony plates, overlaid by horny skin. It has 11-13 of these plates protecting its upper body, and a further 3-4 on the neck. The Giant Armadillo is the largest of the 20 armadillo species and can grow to 1.2 m in total length. They generally emerge in the evening to forage for food, and to make burrows for shelter.

Giant Armadillos are found mostly in undisturbed savannah or forest, usually close to water, from northern Venezuela to Paraguay and northern Argentina. The main threat to Giant Armadillos is over hunting for food and habitat destruction caused by rapidly spreading agriculture. It is estimated that approximately 50% of their former population has been lost in the last 10 years.

The Giant Armadillo is classified as Vulnerable by IUCN (See IUCN Red List of Threatened Species for more information on the classification of the Giant Armadillo).

Help Protect the Giant Armadillo and Other Wildlife in Paraguay

The World Land Trust's projects protect the Giant Armadillo and other threatened wildlife in the following habitats:

• Chaco-Pantanal and Atlantic Rainforest in Paraguay;
• Atlantic Rainforest in Brazil;
• Atlantic Rainforest in Argentina.

Please help protect Giant Armadillo habitat by supporting WLT projects.

More Information about Giant Armadillos and Their Habitat

• Read more about WLT's work in Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay
• Find more information on the Giant Armadillo on ARKive: Images of life on Earth