Brazilian Three-Banded Armadillo
Basic Information:
Scientific Name: Tolypeutes tricinctus
Habitat: Three-banded armadillos are endemic to the savannahs of northeastern Brazil, just south of the equator.
Diet: Three-banded armadillos are insectivores and primarily eat bugs like ants, termites, and worms.
Size: 1.2 feet long
Weight: 3 pounds
Lifespan: 18.2 years according to AZA Species Survival Statistics
Distribution Map:
I.U.C.N. Conservation Status:
What does this mean?
Vulnerable – a species determined by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (I.U.C.N.) to possess a high risk of extinction as a result of rapid population declines of 30 to more than 50 percent over the previous 10 years (or three generations), a current population size of fewer than 1,000 individuals, or other factors.
Our Three-Banded Armadillo:
Athena (Female) – Born April 12, 2021
Did You Know?!
- Three-banded armadillos are the only type of armadillo that can fully close itself into a ball, the 6-banded and 9-banded armadillos have a slight gap.
- Three-banded armadillos are the size of a golf ball when born, looking like miniature adults by about 3 months.
- Three-banded armadillos have a great sense of smell and can detect a worm up to 8 inches underground, but have rather poor eyesight.
- Three-banded armadillos are threatened in part due to human hunting
- Three-banded armadillos do not dig burrows like most armadillos, but use the abandoned burrows of anteaters when they can get them.
- Three-banded armadillos are crepuscular, being most active at dawn and dusk.