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942 Featured Specimen
Giant armadillo

Details

Giant armadillo

Priodontes maximus

Size
1.2–1.5 m · 18–45 kg
Diet
Carnivore
Activity
Nocturnal
Sociality
Solitary
Lifespan

Giant armadillo is a mammal associated with forests and savannas. It is carnivorous and usually solitary. Habitat change and human pressure make conservation attention important.

Range

Habitat range map
Native range Occasional / Transient
NeotropicalNeotropicalNeotropicalNeotropicalNeotropicalNeotropicalNeotropicalNeotropical

Map: Ecoregions 2017 © RESOLVE (CC BY 4.0) · Natural Earth (PD)

Details

Habitat

Its range is represented here by the Neotropics, where it uses forests and savannas. Mobile species may shift habitat use with season, breeding sites, or food availability.

Appearance

Typical length 120-150 cm, weight 18 kg-45 kg. It has a small agile rodent-like build, with proportions shaped by its habitat and mode of movement.

Behavior

It is mostly active at night and usually solitary. Spacing, group size, and visibility can change with season, feeding conditions, and breeding activity.

Feeding

It is carnivorous. Food choice and foraging style are tied to life in forests and savannas, so movements often follow available food resources.

Reproduction

As a mammal, it gives birth to live young, and the mother nurses them in cover or within the social group.

Notes

Recorded scientifically as Priodontes maximus. Habitat change and human pressure make conservation attention important. In this guide, size, habitat, and activity pattern are useful first clues for recognition.