Southern three-banded armadillo
(Tolypeutes matacus)
other common names
La Plata three-banded armadillo
Azara’s domed armadillo
Taxonomy
Order: Cingulata
Family: Chlamyphoridae
Subfamily: Tolypeutinae
description
The Southern three-banded armadillo has a head-body length of 20–25 cm and weighs around 1–2 kg. Its carapace is rigid, dome-shaped, generally sandy-yellow to brown, and has 2–4 movable bands. The tail, as well as the head shield, are triangular in shape. There are 3–4 clawed toes on the forefeet, with the third claw being the largest.
diet
This is an opportunistic insectivore that mainly feeds on insects, but also eats plant material such as fruits and seeds.
reproduction
The southern three-banded armadillo reaches sexual maturity at 12 months of age. Gestation occurs in two seasonal peaks, one in July–September and the other in December–February. Gestation length is 114 days, after which a single young is born. Newborns are miniature versions of the adults, with fully developed and hardened claws, and a flexible carapace with a leathery texture. Newborns can walk and roll into a ball soon after birth, open their eyes at about 3 weeks of age, and are weaned after 2.5 months.
Population trend
Decreasing.
curious facts
It was long thought that three-banded armadillos do not dig burrows. This is incorrect. Although they are not as fossorial as other armadillo species and often rest in shallow depressions covered with leaf litter or in straw nests, they can also dig small burrows.
HaBITAT and ECOLOGy
Tolypeutes matacus is mostly found in the dry Chacoan monte, where the vegetation consists of thorny forests and scrub. It can also be found in palm savanna and gallery forest of the Humid Chaco. Southern three-banded armadillos are mainly solitary, except during the breeding season when several males pursue a single female. When feeling threatened, the southern three-banded armadillo can curl up, with the head and tail shields fitting flush with the surrounding carapace to form a tight ball. Home ranges are, on average, 14 hectares (2–46.4 hectares) and can overlap between individuals. Population density estimates vary between 0.42 individuals/ km² in deciduous forest to 7 individuals/ km² in some parts of the Chaco.
threats
This armadillo is heavily hunted for food and used as a pet species; as it is not as fossorial as other armadillos, it is easier to hunt than other species. It is also used to make handicrafts. In Bolivia, overhunting and habitat destruction present a worrying threat to the species. In 2010, Paraguay established quotas for harvesting this species for export abroad under the Proyecto de Conservación y Utilización de la Vida Silvestre, and landowners received a payment for each individual captured on their land. However, captive breeding programs in the USA have reduced the need to import wild-caught three-banded armadillos especially to zoos, which has reduced hunting pressure.
range
This species occurs in eastern Bolivia, southwestern Brazil, the Gran Chaco of Paraguay, as well as in northern and central Argentina.
conservation status
Tolypeutes matacus is listed as Near Threatened because this species is probably in significant decline (albeit at a rate of less than 30% over 12 years) because of widespread habitat loss through much of its range, and because of exploitation for food, thus making the species close to qualifying for Vulnerable under criterion A2cd.