Main Characteristics

Great Long-Nosed Armadillos have a body length between 24 and 57 cms (9.4 - 22.5 inches), a tail length between 12.5 and 48 cms (4.9 - 19 inches) and they weigh up to 10 kgs (22 lbs).

Their carapace is mottled brown to yellowish/white in colour and they have a sparse scattering of hair on their underside. They can have 6 - 11 moveable bands on their shell and they have 2 - 3 rows of bony scutes on their knees. They have a long, pointed nose and short legs with well developed claws.

Great Long-nosed Armadillos are solitary, nocturnal animals. They are terrestrial and when threatened they run to a nearby burrow or curl up as much as they can to protect their soft undersides.

Habitat

Great Long-Nosed Armadillos can be found in South America. They usually inhabit areas near to dense, shady cover at altitudes up to 3,000 m (9,843 ft). They dig burrows up to 3.5 m (11.5 ft) deep and up to 7.5 m (24.6 ft) long. In their burrows they often construct nests made from leaves and grasses and they often share burrows with other, same sex armadillos.

Diet

Great Long-Nosed Armadillos feed on arthropods and other invertebrates.

Breeding

Great Long-Nosed Armadillos can produce litters of up to 12 youngsters.

Predators


Subspecies

There are two subspecies of the Great Long-Nosed Armadillo.

Dasypus kappleri kappleri

Dasypus kappleri pastasae

Interesting Facts

The word armadillo is Spanish for "little armored one"