Southern three-banded armadillo

Tolypeutes matacus

SUBFAMILY

Tolypeutinae

TAXONOMY

Loricatus matacus (Desmarest, 1804), Argentina.

OTHER COMMON NAMES

French: Tatou à trios bandes du Sud; German: Kugel Gürteltier; Spanish: Bolita.

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS

Length 12.4 in (31.4 cm); weight 2.4 lb (1.1 kg). Dentition: 9/9. Three bands. Thick carapace. Short tail. Walks on tips of claws on forelimb.

DISTRIBUTION

Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, and Paraguay.

HABITAT

Grassland and open plains.

BEHAVIOR

When threatened, rolls up into a ball, exposing only its cara-pace and tail and head shields. Diurnal. Does not dig burrows but uses those built by other species. Individuals found sleeping together in winter (also the breeding season).

FEEDING ECOLOGY AND DIET

Feeds on ants and termites obtained by digging shallow pits.

REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY

Pairing occurs during the breeding season. Captive males solicit females by gently touching their dorsal side. Gives birth to one offspring per year in spring or summer but in captivity birthing occurs year round.

CONSERVATION STATUS

Lower Risk/Near Threatened. Another species, Tolypeutes tricinctus, thought to be extinct in wild, was rediscovered in Brazil.

SIGNIFICANCE TO HUMANS

Used for food.

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Southern Three-banded Armadillo
Conservation status
Near Threatened
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Cingulata Family: Dasypodidae Genus: Tolypeutes Species: T. matacus
Binomial name
Tolypeutes matacus (Desmarest, 1804)

The Southern Three-banded Armadillo, Tolypeutes matacus, is an armadillo species from South America. It is found in Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Bolivia.

References

• Abba et al (2006). Tolypeutes matacus. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 11 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is near threatened
• Infonatura
• Gardner, Alfred (November 16, 2005). in Wilson, D. E., and Reeder, D. M. (eds): Mammal Species of the World, 3rd edition, Johns Hopkins University Press, 98-99. ISBN 0-801-88221-4. 

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Tolypeutes matacus

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