Giant Armadillo
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Giant Armadillo | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Captive giant armadillo in Colombia
|
||||||||||||||||
| Conservation status | ||||||||||||||||
| Scientific classification | ||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||
| Binomial name | ||||||||||||||||
| Priodontes maximus (Kerr, 1792) |
The Giant Armadillo, Tatou, Ocarro, Tatú Carreta (Priodontes maximus) is the largest species of armadillo. It was once found widely in tropical forests of eastern South America and now extends in varied habitats as far south as northern Argentina; the species is considered vulnerable to endangerment.
They typically weigh around 28 kg (59 lb) when full grown but a 32 kg (71 lb) specimen has been weighed in the wild. A typical length is 89 cm (35 in), of which a third to two-fifths is likely to be accounted for by the tail.
The Giant Armadillo prefers termites and some ants as prey, and typically consumes the entire population of a termite mound. They have been known to be predators of larger prey, sometimes eating small mammals such as Mices and rats.
The Giant Armadillo was classified as Endangered (EN — A1cd) on the World Conservation Union's Red List in 2002, and is listed under Appendix I (threatened with extinction) of the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna.
There is a zoo park in Villavicencio, Colombia, called Los Ocarros dedicated to this extraordinary animal.
[edit] See also
- Glyptodon - a huge extinct giant armadillo relative. It is an even bigger armadillo with armor.
[edit] References
- Cuellar et al (2006). Priodontes maximus. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 11 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is vulnerable
- Gardner, Alfred (November 16, 2005). in Wilson, D. E., and Reeder, D. M. (eds): Mammal Species of the World, 3rd edition, Johns Hopkins University Press, 98. ISBN 0-801-88221-4.
[edit] External links
- Animal Diversity Web: Priodontes maximus: Information
- Priodontes maximus from the UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre.
- Genus priodontes
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
