Andean hairy armadillo

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Andean hairy armadillo [1]
Chaetophractus nationi, Oruro, Bolivia - 20090824.jpg
Near Oruro, Bolivia
CITES Appendix II (CITES) [3] [note 1]
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Cingulata
Family: Chlamyphoridae
Genus: Chaetophractus
Species:
C. nationi
Binomial name
Chaetophractus nationi
(Thomas, 1894)
Andean Hairy Armadillo area.png
Andean hairy armadillo range

The Andean hairy armadillo (Chaetophractus nationi) is an armadillo found mainly in Bolivia, in the region of the Puna; the departments of Oruro, La Paz, and Cochabamba (Gardner, 1993). Nowark (1991) describes it as distributed in Bolivia and northern Chile. A recent publication of Pacheco (1995) also locates the species in the Puno Region of Peru. This species is also thought to be present in northern Argentina. [2] However, this location may actually only contain a population of C. vellerosus . [1] [2]

Contents

Physical description

The Andean hairy armadillo averages a tail length of three to seven inches and a body length of eight to sixteen inches. This armadillo is found to have eighteen dorsal bands, in which eight are considered movable. The Andean hairy armadillo gets its name because this armadillo has hair covering all of its ventral side and its legs as well. [4] This species comes in a variety of colors ranging from light brown to yellow/beige. Their teeth are unique because they are continuously growing and do not contain enamel. Their average weight tends to be four and a half to five pounds. They maintain an internal temperature and use limb countercurrent exchange as well. [5]

Diet and activity

Andean hairy armadillos are considered omnivores because they eat a variety of foods. Their diet can consist of grains, roots, fruits and even small vertebrates. These armadillos have even been found to eat rotting flesh and the maggots found within the corpse. [6] These mammals find their food by digging through leaves and substrates while using their nose to detect possible meals. They prefer open high-altitude grasslands to live in. [6]

This armadillo finds shelter in tunnels and burrows that it digs itself using fore-claws. Their territories are about eight acres in size. The Andean hairy armadillo's sleep schedule depend on the season and temperature of its habitat. In the summer months they are considered nocturnality so they do not overheat. They then switch to diurnality during the winter season to stay warm. The Andean hairy armadillo communicates with other armadillos through the use of chemicals, as well as through touch. [5]

Reproduction

Male Andean hairy armadillos only pair up with a female during mating season. They are a polygynandrous species and each adult lives a solitary life. The male armadillo is known to have the longest penises, in proportion to the body size, of any mammal. [6] Males are called lister and females are called zed. [7] Mating season begins in the fall and young are usually born in the summertime with a total of only two offspring. Females are pregnant for only two months though. [4] This two months pregnancy, but births in the summer is because the family Dasypodidae is known for their ability to have delayed implantation and all the embryos produced are from a single zygote. Embryos within the mother still produce their own placenta. [8] Armadillo's offspring are referred to as pups and are born helpless. [7] They remain with their mother fully dependent for fifty days and are sexually mature by twelve months. [5]

Threats and conservation aid

The Andean hairy armadillo has been given a bad reputation of that with its nine-banded cousin Dasypus novemcinctus and thought to carry leprosy. [9] The main threat to this species is being hunted [10] and having its shell sold for musical instrument making, body parts for medical remedies, and for food. Others, simply are killed because they are seen as a pest in that they cause agriculture destruction with their burrow making. Another threat is the fact that they are losing much of their habitat to road construction, farming, and deforestation. [11] However, there are a few aids out there to try to help this species of armadillo survive. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) regulates international trade in the Andean hairy armadillo. The demand for the armadillo's products still remain and many are killed regardless. [6]

Notes

  1. Although listed in Appendix II, the CITES Conference of Parties have agreed to deem the species as Appendix I

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Armadillo</span> New World placental mammals in the order Cingulata

Armadillos are New World placental mammals in the order Cingulata. They form part of the superorder Xenarthra, along with the anteaters and sloths. 21 extant species of armadillo have been described, some of which are distinguished by the number of bands on their armor. All species are native to the Americas, where they inhabit a variety of different environments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Xenarthra</span> Superorder of mammals including anteaters, sloths, and armadillos

Xenarthra is a major clade of placental mammals native to the Americas. There are 31 living species: the anteaters, tree sloths, and armadillos. Extinct xenarthrans include the glyptodonts, pampatheres and ground sloths. Xenarthrans originated in South America during the late Paleocene about 60 million years ago. They evolved and diversified extensively in South America during the continent's long period of isolation in the early to mid Cenozoic Era. They spread to the Antilles by the early Miocene and, starting about 3 million years ago, spread to Central and North America as part of the Great American Interchange. Nearly all of the formerly abundant megafaunal xenarthrans became extinct at the end of the Pleistocene.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andean mountain cat</span> Small wild cat

The Andean mountain cat is a small wild cat native to the high Andes that has been listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List because fewer than 1,500 individuals are thought to exist in the wild. It is traditionally considered a sacred animal by indigenous Aymara and Quechua people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Six-banded armadillo</span> Species of mammals belonging to the armadillo order of xenarthrans

The six-banded armadillo, also known as the yellow armadillo, is an armadillo found in South America. The sole extant member of its genus, it was first described by Swedish zoologist Carl Linnaeus in 1758. The six-banded armadillo is typically between 40 and 50 centimeters in head-and-body length, and weighs 3.2 to 6.5 kilograms. The carapace is pale yellow to reddish brown, marked by scales of equal length, and scantily covered by buff to white bristle-like hairs. The forefeet have five distinct toes, each with moderately developed claws.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nine-banded armadillo</span> Species of armadillo native to the Americas

The nine-banded armadillo, also called the nine-banded long-nosed armadillo or common long-nosed armadillo, is a species of armadillo native to North, Central, and South America, making it the most widespread of the armadillos.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greater long-nosed armadillo</span> Species of mammal

The greater long-nosed armadillo is a South American species of armadillo found in Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, Peru, Bolivia and Brazil. It is a solitary, nocturnal, terrestrial animal that feeds on arthropods and other invertebrates, usually living in the vicinity of streams and swamps.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Big lutrine opossum</span> Species of marsupial

The big lutrine opossum, also called little water opossum, thick-tailed opossum and coligrueso, is a long-tailed, otter-like mammal native to grasslands of South America. It generally lives near water and is active at night, dawn or dusk. It eats mice, insects and crabs. Like all opossums, it is a marsupial and carries its young in a pouch.

Hairy armadillo may refer to:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Screaming hairy armadillo</span> Species of armadillo

The screaming hairy armadillo is a species of armadillo also known as the small screaming armadillo, crying armadillo or the small hairy armadillo. It is a burrowing armadillo found in the central and southern parts of South America. The adjective "screaming" derives from its habit of squealing when handled.

<i>Chaetophractus</i> Genus of mammals belonging to the armadillo order of xenarthrans

Chaetophractus is a small genus of armadillos in the family Chlamyphoridae. It contains the following three species:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Big hairy armadillo</span> Species of mammal

The bighairy armadillo is one of the largest and most numerous armadillos in South America. It lives from sea level to altitudes of up to 1,300 meters across the southern portion of South America, and can be found in grasslands, forests, and savannahs, and has even started claiming agricultural areas as its home. It is an accomplished digger and spends most of its time below ground. It makes both temporary and long-term burrows, depending on its food source. In Spanish it is colloquially known as "peludo".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greater fairy armadillo</span> Species of mammals belonging to the armadillo order of xenarthrans

The greater fairy armadillo, also known as Burmeister's armadillo or the Chacoan fairy armadillo, is a species of armadillo in the family Chlamyphoridae. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, and Paraguay. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry shrubland and subtropical or tropical dry lowland grassland. It is threatened by habitat loss and persecution. It is the only species in the genus Calyptophractus.

<i>Dasypus</i> Genus of mammals belonging to the armadillo order of xenarthrans

Dasypus is the only extant genus in the family Dasypodidae. Its species are known as long-nosed or naked-tailed armadillos. They are found in South, Central, and North America, as well as on the Caribbean islands of Grenada, Trinidad and Tobago. Members of Dasypus are solitary and primarily nocturnal to avoid temperature extremes and predation. They exist in numerous habitats ranging from brush to grassland areas and are mainly insectivorous.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chlamyphoridae</span> Family of armadillos

Chlamyphoridae is a family of cingulate mammals. While glyptodonts have traditionally been considered stem-group cingulates outside the group that contains modern armadillos, there had been speculation that the extant family Dasypodidae could be paraphyletic based on morphological evidence. In 2016, an analysis of Doedicurus mtDNA found it was, in fact, nested within the modern armadillos as the sister group of a clade consisting of Chlamyphorinae and Tolypeutinae. For this reason, all extant armadillos but Dasypus were relocated to a new family.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">High Monte</span> Ecoregion in Argentina

The High Monte is a montane grasslands and shrublands ecoregion in Argentina.

References

  1. 1 2 Gardner, A.L. (2005). "Order Cingulata". In Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 96. ISBN   978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC   62265494.
  2. 1 2 3 IUCN SSC Anteater, Sloth and Armadillo Specialist Group. (2017) [amended version of 2016 assessment]. "Chaetophractus vellerosus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2017: e.T89604632A119877197. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T89604632A119877197.en .
  3. "Appendices | CITES". cites.org. Retrieved 2022-01-14.
  4. 1 2 Nixon, Joshua (1995). "Hairy Armadillos". Genus Chaetophractus. Retrieved November 27, 2016.
  5. 1 2 3 Frostic, Anna (2002). "Animal Diversity Web ADW". Chaetophractus nationi: Andean hairy armadillo. Retrieved November 27, 2016.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Vitali & Muir, Liana & Lucie (April 9, 2009). "Andean hairy armadillo (Chaetophractus nationi)". Wildscreen Arkive. Archived from the original on 2014-03-03. Retrieved December 3, 2013.
  7. 1 2 Valverde, Guido. "Andean hairy armadillo". Andean hairy armadillo picutes and facts. Retrieved November 20, 2016.[ permanent dead link ]
  8. Feldhamer, George; Drickamer, Lee; Vessey, Stephen; Merritt, Joseph; Krajewski, Carey (2015). Mammalogy: adaption, diversity, ecology. Baltimore, Maryland: Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 346–347. ISBN   978-1421415888.
  9. Clark, Laura (March 2, 2015). "SmartNews Keeping you current: How Armadillos can spread leprosy". Smithsonian.com. Retrieved November 30, 2016.
  10. Abba, Agustin; Cassini, Guillermo; Valverde, Guido; Tilak, Marie-Ka; Vizcino, Sergio; Superina, Mariella & Delsuc, Frederic (2015). "Systematics of hairy armadillos and the taxonomic status of the Andean hairy armadillo (Chaetophractus nationi)". Journal of Mammalogy. 96. doi: 10.1093/jmammal/gyv082 .
  11. Smith, Maya (April 23, 2013). "Endangered Species: Andean Hairy Armadillo". Prezi. Retrieved November 22, 2016.