Giant armadillos dressed in armour.
- Giant armadillos are mammals that are native to South American tropical forest areas, and are found on approximately half of the continent.
- Giant armadillos are from the family Dasypodidae, which is the family of armadillos.
- Giant armadillos have a tough encasing of hard scales and plates which is used primarily for defense.
- The scientific name of a giant armadillo is ‘Priodontes maximus’ and they have a lifespan of 12 to 15 years.
- A ‘Giant armadillos’ is also known as a ‘tatou,’ ‘ocarro,’ ‘tatu-canastra,’ and ‘tatú carreta’.
Giant Armadillo
Image courtesy of Amareta Kelly/Flickr
- Giant armadillos’ diet mainly consists of termites and ants, but also vegetation, worms, spiders, snakes and larvae.
- Giant armadillos have long claws including one claw that is sickle-like, 80 to 100 teeth and they are also nocturnal.
- Giant armadillos grow up to 150 centimetres (59 inches) long, including the tail that is approximately a third of its length, and from 28 to 54 kilograms (62 to 119 pounds) in weight.
- Giant armadillos generally do not live with others of the same species, and usually live in burrows.
- Giant armadillos are a threatened species and are listed as vulnerable, due to the destruction of their habitat and poaching by humans for their meat and for black trade.
Bibliography:
Giant Armadillo, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant_armadillo
Giant Armadillo, n.d, Kids’ Planet, http://www.kidsplanet.org/factsheets/armadillo.html
