Dasypus hybridus

Geographic Range

The home range of Dasypus hybridus , the southern long-nosed armadillo, extends from southern Brazil to parts of Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay.

• Biogeographic Regions
• neotropical neotropical
  • native native

Habitat

Southern long-nosed armadillos are terrestrial and fossorial. They live mainly in grasslands and savannas. They make burrows in the ground by digging with their clawed feet. They prefer areas with dense vegetation and limestone outcrops, from 0 to 3000 m elevation. Burrows can be up to 7.5 meters long, are usually 0.5 to 3.5 meters deep and run parallel to the ground. They usually have a nest of leaves and grass in the burrow. Individuals may have between 1 and 20 burrows in use, occupying the main one from 1 to 29 days at a time.

• Habitat Regions
• temperate temperate
• tropical tropical
• terrestrial terrestrial

• Terrestrial Biomes
• savanna or grassland savanna or grassland

• Other Habitat Features
• agricultural agricultural

Physical Description

Southern long-nosed armadillos have 6 to 7 brownish armored bands along their backs and sparse, bristly hair on their undersides. Armor bands are ossified skin and each band is connected to the others by creases of skin, allowing for range of motion.

Southern long-nosed armadillos are named for their long snouts. They have short legs with four, clawed toes on the front legs and five on the hind legs. Southern long-nosed armadillos have between 6 and 8 peg-like teeth per jaw quadrant. Their tails are also armored, with rings with rings of ossified skin. The southern long-nosed armadillo weighs around four and a half pounds and is about 11 to 12.5 inches long, with a tail around half that size.

• Other Physical Features
• endothermic endothermic
• bilateral symmetry bilateral symmetry

• Sexual Dimorphism
• sexes alike

Reproduction

Southern long-nosed armadillos use smell to determine if an individual is receptive to mating. There is no obvious sexual dimorphism between males and females. Males have long penises. It is thought that this is because of all the armor it has to get around in order to mate.

The gestation period southern long-nosed armadillos is prolonged by delayed implantation. Females give birth once a year, becoming pregnant in June and delivering about 120 days later, usually some time in October. Dasypus hybridus has between 4 and 12 young in each litter. This is a distinctive aspect of southern long-nosed armadillos; other species do not have as many young per litter. Offspring are genetically identical because they develop from the same egg. Newborns are pinkish in color at birth but their skin quickly becomes armored and turns to the adult colors of browns or whites.

• Key Reproductive Features
• iteroparous iteroparous
• seasonal breeding seasonal breeding
• gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate)
• sexual sexual
• viviparous viviparous
• delayed implantation delayed implantation

Female southern long-nosed armadillos have mammae on the chest and sometimes on the abdomen. Not much is known about the relationship between the mother and her offspring but, like other mammals, females invest significantly in gestation and lactation. Nine banded armadillos ( Dasypus novemcinctus ) are weaned at 4 to 5 months and become mature sexually around 1 year.

• Parental Investment
• pre-fertilization
  • provisioning
  • protecting
    • female
• pre-hatching/birth
  • provisioning
    • female
  • protecting
    • female
• pre-weaning/fledging
  • provisioning
    • female
  • protecting
    • female

Lifespan/Longevity

Young southern long-nosed armadillos are twice as likely to die as adults because their bony plates are not fully developed. The specific lifespan of D. hybridus is not known, but other species of armadillo have been reported to live anywhere from 9 to 40 years.

Behavior

Southern long-nosed armadillos are terrestrial and fossorial, building conical burrows as long as 7.5 meters. They make circular entrances and dig burrows with their long, curved claws. They are mainly nocturnal, staying in their burrows when not active. Southern long-nosed armadillos can hold their breath for up to six minutes. This is beneficial while digging to keep their lungs free of dirt. They are mainly solitary, but are sometimes found with others. Southern long-nosed armadillos walk quickly on their front claws and back soles and heels. They burrow when threatened, either by taking shelter in an existing burrow or by quickly digging a new temporary one. They may also try to claw or bite a predator or pull their feet up and sit on the ground so that their armor protects their soft undersides.

• Key Behaviors
• terricolous
• fossorial fossorial
• nocturnal nocturnal
• crepuscular crepuscular
• motile motile
• solitary solitary

Home Range

Home range information is not available for southern long-nosed armadillos.

Communication and Perception

Southern long-nosed armadillos have keen senses of smell and hearing. They do not see well. Southern long-nosed armadillos have glands on their eyelids, bottoms of the feet, ears, and anal area. These glands emit a yellow colored liquid that is used to identify individuals and find a mate. They also rub their glands on things to mark their home range. Southern long-nosed armadillos sniff the anal area of other armadillos to identify individuals.

• Communication Channels
• tactile tactile
• chemical chemical

• Other Communication Modes
• scent marks scent marks

• Perception Channels
• visual visual
• tactile tactile
• acoustic acoustic
• chemical chemical

Food Habits

Southern long-nosed armadillos are opportunistic foragers that eat mainly invertebrates. They feed on ants, beetles, crickets, termites, spiders, other invertebrates, small vertebrates, vegetation (including some fruits), and carrion. They forage noisily at night. Southern long-nosed armadillos have long tongues that they use for catching prey. They usually forage with their nose to the ground, going through leaf litter. They may also use their claws to open up a log and then use their tongues to get at what is inside.

• Primary Diet
• carnivore carnivore
  • insectivore insectivore
  • scavenger scavenger

• Animal Foods
• mammals
• amphibians
• reptiles
• carrion carrion
• insects
• terrestrial non-insect arthropods

• Plant Foods
• leaves
• fruit

Predation

Specific predators of southern long-nosed armadillos are not reported. In other armadillo species, predators of young include bobcats, mountain lions, large raptors, and dogs. Adult armadillos are hunted by jaguars, alligators, and bears. They are protected against some predation by their nocturnal habits, burrowing lifestyle, and armored bodies. They are also cryptically colored.

• Anti-predator Adaptations
• cryptic cryptic

Ecosystem Roles

Southern long-nosed armadillos help to control insect populations.

Economic Importance for Humans: Positive

The armor of Dasypus hybridus is sold in some places for use as baskets. They have also been hunted for meat and some were used by South American Indians to build roofs and tombs. Armadillos are used in medical research. They are used especially for studying leprosy because they can contract it. Other medical research that uses armadillos include research on birth defects, multiple births, organ transplants, trichinosis, and typhus.

• Positive Impacts
• food food
• body parts are source of valuable material
• ecotourism ecotourism
• research and education

Economic Importance for Humans: Negative

There are no known adverse effects of Dasypus hybridus on humans.

Conservation Status

Southern long-nosed armadillos are listed as near threatened. They don't thrive in zoos because they need large amounts of space. Threats to their habitat include deforestation and agriculture.

Additional Links

Encyclopedia of Life

Contributors

Phoebe Patton (author), University of Oregon, Stephen Frost (editor, instructor), University of Oregon, Tanya Dewey (editor), Animal Diversity Web.

References

Abba, A., S. Vizcaíno, M. Cassini. 2007. Effects of Land Use on the Distribution of Three Species of Armadillos in the Argentinean Pampas. Journal of Mammalogy , 88/2: 502-502. Accessed January 21, 2009 at http://0-web.ebscohost.com.janus.uoregon.edu/ehost/detail .

Ferrari, C., P. Carmanchahi, H. Aldana Marcos, J. Affanni. 2002. Ultrastructural characterisation of the olfactory mucosa of the armadillo Dasypus hybridus (Dadypodidae, Xenarthre). Journal of Anatomy , 196/2: 269-278. Accessed January 21, 2009 at http://0-www3.interscience.wiley.com.janus.uoregon.edu/journal/119004168/abstract .

Galíndez, E., S. Codón, E. Casanave. 2000. Spleen of Dasypus hybridus (Mammalia, Dasypodidae): A light and electron microscopic study. The Anatomical Record , 258/3: 286-291. Accessed January 21, 2009 at Http://0-www3.interscience.wiley.com.janus.uroegon.edu/cgi-bin/fulltext .

Gardner, A. 2005. Order Cingulata. Pp. 94 in Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference , Vol. 1, 3 Edition. Baltimore: John Hopkins University Press.

González, E., A. Soutullo, C. Altuna. 2001. The Burrow of*Dasypus hybridus* (Cingulata: Dasypodidae). Acta Theriologica , 46/1: 53-59. Accessed March 06, 2009 at http://www.ua.es/area/ebtn/articulos/Gonzalezetal,2001ActaTher.pdf .

Nixon, J. 2009. "Genus Dasypus" (On-line). Armadillo Online!. Accessed February 16, 2009 at https://www.msu.edu/~nixonjos/armadillo/dasypus.html .

Sciurano, R., M. Merani, J. Bustos, A. Solari. 2006. Synaptonemal complexes and XY behavior in two species of Argentinean armadillos: Chaetophractus villosus and Dasypus hybidus (Xenarthra, Dasypodidae). Biocell , 30/1: 57-66. Accessed January 21, 2009 at http://www.scielo.org.ar/pdf/biocel/v30n1/v30n1a09.pdf .

Tolosa, H. 2009. "Mammalia Xenarthra Dasypodidae Dasypus hybridus" (On-line). Accessed February 16, 2009 at http://www.treknature.com/gallery/South_America/Argentina/photo194312.htm .

McGraw-Hill, Inc. 1990. Armadillos (Family Dasypodidae). Pp. 612-621 in Grzimek's Encyclopedia of Mammals , Vol. Volume 2, 1st English Edition. New York: Mcgraw-Hill.

2006. Armadillos. Pp. 124-127 in The Encyclopedia of Mammals , Vol. Volume 1, Second Edition. New York: Facts on File, Inc..

2009. "Dasyypus hybridus" (On-line). Accessed February 16, 2009 at http://www.itis.gov .

1999. Xenarthra; Family Dasypodidae. Pp. 158-166 in Walker's Mammals of the World , Vol. Volume 1, Sixth Edition. Baltimore: The John Hopkins University Press.