Giant Armadillo
Description
Protected by the following WLT projects:
- Chaco-Pantanal Project, Paraguay
- Atlantic Rainforest, Brazil
- Misiones Rainforest Corridor, Argentina
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.
Behaviour
They generally emerge in the evening to forage for food, and to make burrows for shelter.
Habitat
Giant Armadillos are found mostly in undisturbed savannah or forest, usually close to water, from northern Venezuela to Paraguay and northern Argentina.
Threats and Conservation
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.
Help protect habitat for the Giant Armadillo: Donate to the WLT
Learn more
- See IUCN Red List of Threatened Species for more information on the classification of the Giant Armadillo.
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