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944 Featured Specimen
Southern three-banded armadillo

Details

Southern three-banded armadillo

Tolypeutes matacus

Size
22–27 cm · 1–1.6 kg
Diet
Omnivore
Activity
Nocturnal
Sociality
Solitary
Lifespan

Southern three-banded armadillo is a mammal associated with savannas and grasslands. It is omnivorous and usually solitary. Decline or fragmentation makes continued monitoring 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 savannas and grasslands. Mobile species may shift habitat use with season, breeding sites, or food availability.

Appearance

Typical length 22-27 cm, weight 1 kg-1.6 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 omnivorous. Food choice and foraging style are tied to life in savannas and grasslands, 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 Tolypeutes matacus. Decline or fragmentation makes continued monitoring important. In this guide, size, habitat, and activity pattern are useful first clues for recognition.