įemale giant armadillos have two teats and have a gestational period of about five months. Additionally, the giant armadillo was once key to controlling leaf cutter populations which could destroy crops, but they can also damage crops themselves when digging through soil. Because of this, the species is considered a habitat engineer, and the local extinction of Priodontes may have cascading effects in the mammalian community by impoverishing fossorial habitat. In the only 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 rare short-eared dog ( Atelocynus microtis).
Īrmadillos have not been extensively studied in the wild therefore, little is known about their natural ecology and behavior. The average sleep time of a captive giant armadillo is said to be 18.1 hours. Little is currently known about this species' reproductive biology, and no juveniles have ever been discovered in the field. The diet is mainly composed of termites, although ants, worms, spiders and other invertebrates are also eaten. Giant armadillos use their large front claws to dig for prey and rip open termite mounds. 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. They also burrow to escape predators, being unable to completely roll into a protective ball. Giant armadillos are solitary and nocturnal, spending the day in burrows. They primarily inhabit open habitats, with cerrado grasslands covering about 25% of their range, but they can also be found in lowland forests. There are no recognised geographic subspecies. In the south, they reach the northernmost provinces of Argentina, including Salta, Formosa, Chaco, and Santiago del Estero. Giant armadillos are found throughout much of northern South America east of the Andes, except for eastern Brazil and Paraguay. The typical length of the species is 75–100 cm (30–39 in), with the tail adding another 50 cm (20 in). 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). Cite error: A tag is missing the closing (see the help page). Some giant armadillos have been reported to have eaten bees by digging into beehives.
It also has been known to prey upon worms, larvae and larger creatures, such as spiders and snakes, and plants. The giant armadillo prefers termites and some ants as prey, and often consumes the entire population of a termite mound. This species is considered vulnerable to extinction. It lives in South America, ranging throughout as far south as northern Argentina. " Dasypus novemcinctus (Nine-Banded Armadillo)." Animal Diversity Web.The giant armadillo ( Priodontes maximus), colloquially tatu-canastra, tatou, ocarro or tatú carreta, is the largest living species of armadillo (although their extinct relatives, the glyptodonts, were much larger). " Hibernation and Daily Torpor in an Armadillo, the Pichi ( Zaedyus pichiy)." Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part A: Molecular & Integrative Physiology, vol. " On the Age of Leprosy." PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, vol. " Time Budgets of Wild Nine-Banded Armadillos." Southeastern Naturalist, vol. “ Gliptodontes y Cazadores-Recolectores De La Region Pampeana (Argentina).” Latin American Antiquity, vol. " Mysterious Extinct Glyptodonts Are Actually Gigantic Armadillos, Says Their DNA." American Museum of Natural History. Miranda, F., et al. " Brazilian Three-banded Armadillo: Tolypeutes tricinctus." IUCN Red List, 2014, e.T21975A47443455., doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK. " Brazilian Three-Banded Armadillo." Xenarthrans. " How High Can A Nine-Banded Armadillo Jump?" The Library of Congress.
" Taxonomic Revision of the Dasypus kappleri Complex, With Revalidations of Dasypus pastasae (Thomas, 1901) and Dasypus beniensis Lönnberg, 1942 (Cingulata, Dasypodidae)." Zootaxa, vol. Feijó, Anderson, and Cordeiro-Estrela, Pedro.
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