Geographic Range
Chaetophractus nationi is endemic to Bolivia and northern Chile, in the Andes mountain range. (Yensen et al, 1994)
- Biogeographic Regions
- neotropical
Habitat
Chaetophractus nationi lives in grasslands at high altitudes, in an ecosystem called the Puna. (Montgomery, 1985)
- Habitat Regions
- temperate
- Terrestrial Biomes
- mountains
Physical Description
Head and body length reaches 220 to 400 mm and the tail length is 90 to 175 mm. The head shield is 60 mm long and 60 mm wide. This armadillo has 18 dorsal bands, 8 of which are movable. (Nowak, 1999) Unlike other armadillos, Chaetophractus nationi has hair between the majority of its sclaes, and is completely covered on its legs and underside. Color varies from yellowish to light brown. As with other Dasypodids, the teeth are not covered in enamel, and grow continuously. Body temperature is regulated somewhat ectothermically, and burrows are used to cool down in the summer. (Yensen et al, 1994)
- Other Physical Features
- endothermic
- heterothermic
- bilateral symmetry
Reproduction
Chaetophractus nationi is solitary, with males and females only coming together for mating purposes.
- Mating System
- polygynandrous (promiscuous)
After mating in the fall, females are pregnant for two months before giving birth to a litter of two. After birth, an individual immediately develops epidermal scales that eventually harden and join to form armor plates. Each infant is fully dependent on its mother until weaning, which occurs at about 50 days. Young rely heavily on their mothers for almost a month until they develop adult teeth and begin to forage. Sexual maturity is reached at about nine months. (Grzimek, 1990)
- Key Reproductive Features
- seasonal breeding
- gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate)
- sexual
- fertilization
The female is solely responsible for parental care in this species.
- Parental Investment
- female parental care
Lifespan/Longevity
(Montgomery, 1985)
Behavior
Chaetophractus nationi is nocturnal during the summer months to avoid the heat of the day and to maximize feeding time at night. However, in the winter nocturnal habits are reversed, and foraging occurs in the day time. These solitary creatures dig deep burrows on slopes to sleep in, but rarely use a burrow more than once. (Yensen et al, 1994)
Each individual's home range is approximately 3.4 hectares. (Montgomery, 1985)
Communication and Perception
Food Habits
Chaetophractus nationi is omnivorous, eating some small vertebrates, many insects, and some vegetation. (Greegor 1980)
- Primary Diet
- omnivore
- Animal Foods
- birds
- mammals
- reptiles
- eggs
- carrion
- insects
- terrestrial non-insect arthropods
- Plant Foods
- roots and tubers
- seeds, grains, and nuts
- fruit
Predation
The bony plates of armour that surround this animal's body serve as protection from predators. (Nixon, 2000)
Ecosystem Roles
May limit harmful insect populations. (Montgomery 1985)
- Ecosystem Impact
- soil aeration
Economic Importance for Humans: Positive
In Bolivia and Chile, Andean Hairy Armadillos have been used for meat, musical instruments, decorations, good luck charms, and medicine for rheumatism. (Yensen et al, 1994)
- Positive Impacts
- food
- source of medicine or drug
Conservation Status
Chaetophractus nationi is so endangered that CITES has issued a no import/export policy for trade of this species. (1996 IUCN Red List)
Additional Links
Contributors
Anna Frostic (author), University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, Bret Weinstein (editor), 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.
- temperate
-
that region of the Earth between 23.5 degrees North and 60 degrees North (between the Tropic of Cancer and the Arctic Circle) and between 23.5 degrees South and 60 degrees South (between the Tropic of Capricorn and the Antarctic Circle).
- mountains
-
This terrestrial biome includes summits of high mountains, either without vegetation or covered by low, tundra-like vegetation.
- 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.
- heterothermic
-
having a body temperature that fluctuates with that of the immediate environment; having no mechanism or a poorly developed mechanism for regulating internal body temperature.
- 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.
- polygynandrous
-
the kind of polygamy in which a female pairs with several males, each of which also pairs with several different females.
- seasonal breeding
-
breeding is confined to a particular season
- sexual
-
reproduction that includes combining the genetic contribution of two individuals, a male and a female
- fertilization
-
union of egg and spermatozoan
- external fertilization
-
fertilization takes place outside the female's body
- female parental care
-
parental care is carried out by females
- nocturnal
-
active during the night
- motile
-
having the capacity to move from one place to another.
- solitary
-
lives alone
- carrion
-
flesh of dead animals.
- 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.
- drug
-
a substance used for the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease
- omnivore
-
an animal that mainly eats all kinds of things, including plants and animals
- tactile
-
uses touch to communicate
- chemical
-
uses smells or other chemicals to communicate
References
Greegor, D. 1980. Diet of the Omnivorous Armadillos of Northwestern Argentina. Mammalia , 61: 331-334.
Grzimek, D. 1990. Grzimek's Encyclopedia of Mammals Volume 2 . New York, NY: McGraw Hill.
Montgomery, G. 1985. Evolution and Ecology of Armadillos, Sloths, and Vermilinguas . London, England: Smithsonian Institution Press.
Nixon, J. 2000. "Armadillo Online" (On-line). Accessed November 14, 2001 at http://www.msu.edu/~nixonjos/armadillo/index.html?http://www.msu.edu/~nixonjos/armadillo/chaetophractus.html .
Nowak, R. 1999. Walker's Mammals of the World (Sixth Edition, Volume 1) . Baltimore, MD: John Hopkins University Press.
Yensen, E., T. Tarifa, S. Anderson. 1994. New distributional records of some Bolivian mammals. Mammalia , 58 (3): 405-413.