| Southern long-nosed armadillo | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Model at the Museo Civico di Storia Naturale Giacomo Doria | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Cingulata |
| Family: | Dasypodidae |
| Genus: | Dasypus |
| Species: | D. hybridus |
| Binomial name | |
| Dasypus hybridus (Desmarest, 1804) | |
 | |
| Southern long-nosed armadillo range | |
The southern long-nosed armadillo (Dasypus hybridus) is a species of armadillo native to South America.
Among the smallest of the long-nosed armadillos, individuals of the southern species measure about 30 cm (12 in) in head-body length, with a tail about 17 cm (6.7 in) long. With no discernible sexual dimorphism, both males and females weigh about 2 kg (4.4 lb). The upper body, tail, and upper surface of the head are covered by a dark grey carapace of bony scales and have very little hair. The central part of the carapace is divided into a number of movable bands; there are usually seven such bands, but many individuals have just six, while a few have eight. The scales on the main shields, over the shoulders and hips, are hexagonal and about 5 mm (0.20 in) across, while those on the bands are rectangular and marked with a V-shaped groove that divides them into three triangular sections. The scales on the head are variable in shape. [2]
The tail has a number of distinct rings for about two-thirds of its length, and a slender tip. They have a narrow snout and long ears, measuring about a quarter to a third of the length of the head. There are four toes on the front feet and five on the hind feet; all have powerful curved claws. The underside of the animal has sparse dark-brown hair, and skin that is wrinkled on the abdomen, but smoother on the inside of the legs. [2]
The southern long-nosed armadillo inhabits southern Brazil, in the states of Paraná, Rio Grande do Sul, and Santa Catarina, southern Paraguay, north-eastern Argentina, and almost the whole of Uruguay. There are no recognised subspecies. [1] Within this region, they live in grasslands up to 2,300 m (7,500 ft) in elevation, preferring relatively undisturbed habitats and avoiding agricultural cropland, [3] although they may be found on cattle ranches. [4]
About 60% of the species' diet consists of ants and termites, although they also eat other small invertebrates, the occasional small mouse, and some vegetables and scraps. [2] [5] They are diurnal and active throughout the year, being solitary outside of the breeding season. [2]
They spend the night in burrows, which consist of a single passage with an average length of 120 cm (47 in) and depth of 43 cm (17 in), although individual burrows vary greatly. They are typically built on flat or gently sloping terrain and angled so that the entrance faces away from the prevailing winds. The entrance is usually concealed beneath bushes or rocks, and may be lined with dried plant matter, which is also often found deeper within the burrow, where it forms a nest. [6]
Breeding begins in March, with the young being born from October to early December. From six to ten young are born in each litter, and are relatively precocial at birth, with their eyes already open and the bony scutes of their carapace already partially developed. [7] Newborn young weigh about 48 g (1.7 oz), and are weaned at about two months. [2]
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.
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.
The giant armadillo, colloquially tatu-canastra, tatou, ocarro or tatú carreta, is the largest living species of armadillo. It lives in South America, ranging throughout as far south as northern Argentina. This species is considered vulnerable to extinction.
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.
The nine-banded armadillo, also known as the nine-banded long-nosed armadillo or common long-nosed armadillo, is a mammal found in North, Central, and South America, making it the most widespread of the armadillos. Its ancestors originated in South America, and remained there until the formation of the Isthmus of Panama allowed them to enter North America as part of the Great American Interchange. The nine-banded armadillo is a solitary, mainly nocturnal animal, found in many kinds of habitats, from mature and secondary rainforests to grassland and dry scrub. It is an insectivore, feeding chiefly on ants, termites, and other small invertebrates. The armadillo can jump 91–120 cm (3–4 ft) straight in the air if sufficiently frightened, making it a particular danger on roads. It is the state small mammal of Texas.
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.
The southern naked-tailed armadillo is a species of small armadillo from South America.
The seven-banded armadillo, also known as the Brazilian lesser long-nosed armadillo, is a species of armadillo from South America found in Paraguay, Argentina, Bolivia and Brazil. It is a solitary nocturnal, terrestrial animal, living mostly in dry habitats, outside of rainforest regions.
The greater naked-tailed armadillo is an armadillo species from South America.
The pichi, dwarf armadillo or pygmy armadillo is an armadillo native to Argentina. It is the only living member of the genus Zaedyus, and the only armadillo to hibernate. Fossil remains from the Cerro Azul Formation indicate this species had already evolved during the late Miocene epoch.
The northern naked-tailed armadillo is a species of armadillo. It is one of only two species of armadillo found outside of South America, the other being the more widely distributed nine-banded armadillo.
The Chacoan naked-tailed armadillo is a species of South American armadillo.
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".
The hairy long-nosed armadillo or woolly armadillo is a species of armadillo in the family Dasypodidae. It is endemic to Peru. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest and subtropical or tropical moist montane forest. The International Union for Conservation of Nature used to consider it a "vulnerable species" but has changed this assessment to "data deficient" because so little is known about the animal and the threats it faces.
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.
Yepes's mulita or the Yungas lesser long-nosed armadillo is a species of armadillo in the family Dasypodidae. It is endemic to Argentina and Bolivia. Its natural habitat is subtropical dry forests. The species was renamed D. yepesi because the type of D. mazzai was suspected to correspond of other species of Dasypus, which it was later proved wrong, becoming D. yepesi a synonym of D. mazzai.
The Llanos long-nosed armadillo or northern long-nosed armadillo is a species of armadillo in the family Dasypodidae. It is endemic to Colombia and Venezuela, where its habitat is the intermittently flooded grassland of the Llanos. The species is closely related to the nine-banded armadillo and the great long-nosed armadillo. It has very little hair and can weigh up to 22 pounds (9.5 kg), and can grow to about 2.1 feet (60 cm) long. It lives in dense cover near limestone formations. Like most other armadillos, it eats ants.
Dasypus neogaeus is an extinct species of armadillo, belonging to the genus Dasypus, alongside the modern nine-banded armadillo. The only known fossil is a single osteoderm, though it has been lost, that was found in the Late Miocene strata of Argentina.
The East Amazonian long-nosed armadillo is a species of armadillo found in the jungles between the Amazon, Madeira, and Madre de Dios rivers in northern Brazil and Bolivia.
