Southern three-banded armadillo
Southern three-banded armadillo
Armadillo is a Spanish word meaning “little armored one,” referring to the bony plates that cover much of an armadillo’s body. These bony plates are made of keratin – the same protein that makes up our hair and nails. Of the 20 species of armadillo, this is the only one that can roll up completely in a ball. Since this species is more likely to curl up in a ball rather than run from potential danger, they are easy targets for hunters.
Tolypeutes matacus
Insectivore
South America
Grasslands, Scrublands
This animal ambassador lives behind the scenes at the Wieland Wildlife Home, but you could meet one at one of our evening events, at a pop-up animal encounter during your Zoo visit, or if you register for one of our education programs.
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Like their closest relatives, anteaters and sloths, armadillos are native to Central and South America. Only one species of armadillo, the nine-banded armadillo, can also be found in North America. Due to their nocturnal nature, three-banded armadillos have poor eyesight but a keen sense of smell, which helps them locate food. They have long, sharp claws on their front feet which help them dig for insects to eat. Their claws also allow them to build nests or dig shallow dens in the vegetation, but some individuals prefer to use those abandoned by anteaters instead of digging their own. They remain active year-round as their shells are excellent for trapping and retaining heat during the winter.
Three-banded armadillos are blackish-brown in color and are relatively small compared to other armadillo species. They are named for the three bands across the mid-section of their back armor. Their short, thick tails and elongated heads are also covered in armor. Like human fingerprints, the pattern of armor plates on the head is unique to each individual. The front and rear portions of their shells are not attached to the skin on the side of the body, providing ample space to fit the animal’s head, legs and tail completely within the protective bony plating. Rather than sealing completely shut, they often leave their armor partially open. If a predator tries to penetrate the shell to reach the soft underbelly, the armadillo can quickly snap shut on the intruder. Their strong legs and claws enable them to remove bark to reveal insects or to rip into entire insect colonies. While their forefeet each have four separate toes, the three central toes of their hind feet are fused together, almost like a hoof.
Three-banded armadillos are primarily solitary animals, but they have been observed gathering in groups of up to 12 individuals, particularly in very cold weather. They also come together to breed. After a gestation of about four months, females give birth to a single baby between November and January. Babies are born blind but quickly develop the ability to walk and close their shells. Young armadillos nurse for about two and a half months and are sexually mature between 9 and 12 months of age. This slow reproductive rate makes it challenging for the species to recover from population declines.
This animal ambassador lives behind the scenes at the Wieland Wildlife Home, but you could meet one at one of our evening events, at a pop-up animal encounter during your Zoo visit, or if you register for one of our education programs.
Three-banded armadillos are found in central and eastern Bolivia, the Mato Grasso of central Brazil, the Chaco region of Paraguay, and northern and central Argentina.
This species lives in areas of dry vegetation such as grasslands, marshy areas and open woods.
In the wild, three-banded armadillos primarily eat ants, termites and beetle larvae. They will occasionally eat ripe fruit. At Zoo Atlanta, they receive a nutritionally balanced diet of commercially produced insectivore diet, waxworms and occasional crickets and fruits.
Three-banded armadillo populations are decreasing, primarily due to hunting for meat and habitat loss to agricultural conversion. You can be part of the solution by purchasing locally sourced produce to avoid contributing to armadillo habitat loss to crop conversion.