Pictures: Baby Giant Armadillo Photographed—A First

Vulnerable Giants

Photograph by Kevin Schafer

An adult female armadillo emerges from her burrow in a recent camera trap picture. The mammals can reach up to 4.9 feet (1.5 meters) in length and can weigh up to 110 pounds (50 kilograms).

The giant armadillo's nocturnal nature and diversity of habitat—from open savannahs to tropical rain forests—make them hard to spot.

Because so little is known about them and their population density is so low, giant armadillos are listed as a vulnerable species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

According to IUCN, habitat loss and hunting have driven the population down at least 30 percent in the past three generations.

"We simply know nothing about giant armadillos, and may lose the species before we can understand its basic natural history and ecological role," Desbiez said.

Published March 1, 2013

Built for Digging

Photograph by Kevin Schafer

Perhaps the most obvious giant armadillo behavior is its knack for digging.

Large front claws, like the ones on this adult armadillo, allow the animals to clear out their burrows—one of the few pieces of evidence that show an armadillo has been in the area. (Also see "Armadillo-like Crocodile Fossil Found in Brazil.")

Giant armadillos are also important ecosystem engineers, Desbiez said.

"Our research in the Brazilian Pantanal shows that giant armadillo burrows are an important shelter and thermal refuge to a wide array of species ranging from tiny lizards to large collared peccaries," he said.

Published March 1, 2013

Team Work

Photograph by Kevin Schafer

Researchers Gabriel Massocato, Danilo Kluyber, and Arnaud Desbiez (left to right) began the first long-term ecological study of giant armadillos in 2010.

The team hoped that by using radio transmitters, camera traps, burrow surveys, and maps, they could help pin down some information on the ecology and biology of the animal.

So far it's paid off: As of this year, Desbiez said, the team has caught eight armadillos, mapped burrows throughout a partnering cattle ranch, and placed 15 camera traps in front of more than 70 burrows. (See the best camera-trap pictures of 2012.)

"Seeing the first picture of a baby giant armadillo was one of the most exciting moments of my career as a wildlife professional," project veterinarian Danilo Kluyber said in a statement.

Added Desbiez, "Giant armadillos have a great potential for education and outreach.

"The species has a fascinating evolutionary history, exhibit distinctive adaptations, play an interesting role in the ecosystem ... and in general people have never heard of them."

The Pantanal Giant Armadillo Project is a partnership between the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland; the Brazil-based Institute for Ecological Research; and Baía das Pedras, a private cattle ranch. The project relies on conservation grants from zoos in the United States, Europe, and Australia as well as other foundations and conservation institutions.

Published March 1, 2013

See More Pictures of Rare South American Animals

Photograph courtesy Peruvian Amazon Biodiversity Project

Published March 1, 2013