Geographic Range
Cabassous tatouay
is found in Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay and Argentina.
- Biogeographic Regions
- neotropical
Habitat
Cabassous tatouay
mainly inhabits temperate forests, but can be found in a variety of different environments
including along rivers and in grassland communities. They tolerate second-growth habitats,
but cannot survive in agricultural areas.
- Habitat Regions
- terrestrial
- Terrestrial Biomes
- savanna or grassland
- forest
- scrub forest
Physical Description
Greater naked-tailed armadillos appear very similar to giant armadillos except for their smaller size and lack of armor on their tails (which range from 90 to 200mm in length). Cabassous tatouay can be distinguised from C. unicinctus by its larger size, and because C. tatouay has a larger, funnel-shaped ear that continues past the head. Both the snout and the head are short and somewhat broad, and their dentition formula is 9/8. Each forefoot has five large claws; the largest claw appears on the third digit.
The armor of greater naked-tailed armadillos is dark brown or black with yellow edges, their undersides are grayish. There can be anywhere from 10 to 13 moveable bands of armor on the back. The bodies of greater naked-tailed armadillos are covered with sparse, coarse hair. Their core body temperature ranges from 32 to 34 degrees C and the basal metabolic rate of the related species C. centralis is 4.8170 W
Cabassous tatouay skulls have a narrow mandible, with the height of the condyloid process greater than the coronoid process. The teeth of C. tatouay are peg-like, and members of this species posses tympanic rings rather than bullae.
The feces of
C. tatouay
are pelleted and composed of insect remains and soil.
- Other Physical Features
- endothermic
- homoiothermic
- bilateral symmetry
Reproduction
There is currently no information available on the mating systems of
C. tatouay
or of the related species
C. unicinctus
and
C. centralis
.
Cabassous tatouay
gives birth to one offspring per year. There is no other available information on
the species, although the related species
C. centralis
produces one offspring that is born hairless, and with closed eyes and pinnae. The
average weight of newborn offspring of
C. centralis
is 100g for males and 113g for females.
- Key Reproductive Features
- iteroparous
- gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate)
- sexual
- viviparous
There is currently no information available on the parental investment given by
C. tatouay
, or of related species. As in all mammals, greater naked-tailed armadillo females
care for and nurse their young until they become independent.
- Parental Investment
-
pre-fertilization
- provisioning
-
protecting
- female
-
pre-hatching/birth
-
provisioning
- female
-
protecting
- female
-
provisioning
-
pre-weaning/fledging
-
provisioning
- female
-
provisioning
Lifespan/Longevity
No information could be found on the lifespan of
C. tatouay
, however, a specimen of the closely related
C. unicinctus
lived seven and a half years in captivity and a
C. centralis
specimen lived eight years in captivity.
Behavior
Greater naked-tailed armadillos are nocturnal foragers, though they have been known to continue to forage until dawn. They are extensively fossorial, using the powerful claw on their third digits to dig holes into termite mounds. Greater naked-tailed armadillos can completely bury themselves while digging for prey.
When pursued
C. tatouay
runs rapidly, and, during locomotion, walks on the claws of the forefeet and the
soles of their hindfeet. Their most frequent means of avoiding predators, however,
is burrowing completely into the ground (which they can do in a matter of minutes).
Greater naked-tailed armadillos have also been observed entering water to escape pursuit.
Greater naked-tailed armadillos sleep in burrows, though the burrows are sequentially
occupied by many different individuals; each armadillo spends only one night in a
burrow and never returns. Their burrows are generally oblong, such that the width
of the opening is larger than the height, and their average slope is 47.7 degrees.
Burrows are most often dug in open ground or close to the base of an embankment and
often have a strong, musky odor.
Home Range
No information is currently available on the home range or territory size of C. tatouay .
Communication and Perception
When handled, male C. tatouay make a grunting sound similar to that of a pig, but females are generally silent.
Greater naked-tailed armadillos have a well developed sense of smell, which they use
as their primary way of locating prey hidden in the soil or leaf litter.
Food Habits
Greater naked-tailed armadillos are mostly myrmecophagous, eating primarily ants and
termites. They use their large claws on the third digit to dig holes into insect mounds
or rotting stumps, then use their long, sticky tongues to remove prey from their tunnels.
While feeding on ants and termites,
C. tatouay
may also injest incidental invertebrates found during foraging and soil.
- Primary Diet
- carnivore
- Animal Foods
- insects
- terrestrial non-insect arthropods
- terrestrial worms
Predation
Humans are the most frequent predators of greater naked-tailed armadillos. Their most
common anti-predator behavior is burrowing underground to hide from pursuit, which
they do using the large claws on their third digits and by rotating their carapace
back and forth.
Ecosystem Roles
Cabassous tatouay
has an impact on the soil of its habitat due to its extensive burrowing and churning
of soil. It is an insectivore and may affect termite and ant density.
- Ecosystem Impact
- soil aeration
- None known.
- None known.
- None known.
Economic Importance for Humans: Positive
Cabassous tatouay
is sometimes hunted and eaten.
- Positive Impacts
- food
Economic Importance for Humans: Negative
Cabassous tatouay
is often hunted in agricultural areas due to the damage caused by its excessive burrowing,
which can disrupt crops.
- Negative Impacts
- crop pest
Conservation Status
The main threats to greater naked-tailed armadillos are habitat destruction and fires, as well as persecution because of their negative effects on agriculture. These armadillos have been driven to extinction in a number of areas. No conservation efforts, however, are currently in place for greater naked-tailed armadillos.
Additional Links
Contributors
Tanya Dewey (editor), Animal Diversity Web.
Lara Zajic (author), University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, Phil Myers (editor, instructor), Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor.
- Neotropical
-
living in the southern part of the New World. In other words, Central and South America.
- native range
-
the area in which the animal is naturally found, the region in which it is endemic.
- terrestrial
-
Living on the ground.
- tropical savanna and grassland
-
A terrestrial biome. Savannas are grasslands with scattered individual trees that do not form a closed canopy. Extensive savannas are found in parts of subtropical and tropical Africa and South America, and in Australia.
- savanna
-
A grassland with scattered trees or scattered clumps of trees, a type of community intermediate between grassland and forest. See also Tropical savanna and grassland biome.
- temperate grassland
-
A terrestrial biome found in temperate latitudes (>23.5° N or S latitude). Vegetation is made up mostly of grasses, the height and species diversity of which depend largely on the amount of moisture available. Fire and grazing are important in the long-term maintenance of grasslands.
- forest
-
forest biomes are dominated by trees, otherwise forest biomes can vary widely in amount of precipitation and seasonality.
- scrub forest
-
scrub forests develop in areas that experience dry seasons.
- endothermic
-
animals that use metabolically generated heat to regulate body temperature independently of ambient temperature. Endothermy is a synapomorphy of the Mammalia, although it may have arisen in a (now extinct) synapsid ancestor; the fossil record does not distinguish these possibilities. Convergent in birds.
- bilateral symmetry
-
having body symmetry such that the animal can be divided in one plane into two mirror-image halves. Animals with bilateral symmetry have dorsal and ventral sides, as well as anterior and posterior ends. Synapomorphy of the Bilateria.
- iteroparous
-
offspring are produced in more than one group (litters, clutches, etc.) and across multiple seasons (or other periods hospitable to reproduction). Iteroparous animals must, by definition, survive over multiple seasons (or periodic condition changes).
- sexual
-
reproduction that includes combining the genetic contribution of two individuals, a male and a female
- viviparous
-
reproduction in which fertilization and development take place within the female body and the developing embryo derives nourishment from the female.
- fossorial
-
Referring to a burrowing life-style or behavior, specialized for digging or burrowing.
- nocturnal
-
active during the night
- motile
-
having the capacity to move from one place to another.
- sedentary
-
remains in the same area
- solitary
-
lives alone
- acoustic
-
uses sound to communicate
- chemical
-
uses smells or other chemicals to communicate
- visual
-
uses sight to communicate
- tactile
-
uses touch to communicate
- acoustic
-
uses sound to communicate
- chemical
-
uses smells or other chemicals to communicate
- soil aeration
-
digs and breaks up soil so air and water can get in
- food
-
A substance that provides both nutrients and energy to a living thing.
- carnivore
-
an animal that mainly eats meat
- insectivore
-
An animal that eats mainly insects or spiders.
References
Carter, T., C. Encarnacao. 1983. Characteristics and use of burrows by four species of armadillos in Brazil. Journal of Mammalogy , 64: 103-8.
Cuellar, E., A. Noss. 2003. Mamiferos del Chaco Y de la Chiquitania de Santa Cruz, Bolivia . Bolivia: Fundacion para la Conservacion del Bosque Chiquitano.
Eisenberg, J., K. Redford. 1999. Mammals of the Neotropics . London: University of Chicago Press.
Grzimek, B. 2003. Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia Mammals . Germany: Thomson Gale.
Hilario, S., V. Imperatriz-Fonseca. 2003. Thermal evidence of the invasion of a stingless bee nest by a mammal. Brazilian Journal of Biology , 63: 457-462.
Linares, O. 1998. Mamiferos de Venezuela . Caracas: Sociedad Conservacionista Audubon de Venezuela.
Nixon, J. 2004. "Cabassous Tatouay" (On-line). Armadillos Online. Accessed March 18, 2006 at www.msu.edu/~nixonjos/armadillo/cabassous.html .
Weigl, R. 2005. Longevity of Mammals in Captivity . Stuttgert: Kleine Senckenberg-Reihe 48.
Wetzel, R. 1980. Revision of the Naked-Tailed Armadillos, Genus Cabassous McMurtrie. Annals of Carnegie Museum , 49: 323-357.
da Fonseca, G., A. Rylands. 2004. Edentata. The Newsletter of the IUCN Edentate Specialist Group , 6: 1-78.