Giant armadillo
| Giant armadillo | |
|---|---|
| Giant armadillo foraging at Nouragues Nature Reserve, Régina | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Cingulata |
| Family: | Chlamyphoridae |
| Subfamily: | Tolypeutinae |
| Genus: | Priodontes F. Cuvier, 1825 |
| Species: | P. maximus |
| Binomial name | |
| Priodontes maximus (Kerr, 1792) | |
| Giant armadillo range | |
The giant armadillo (Priodontes maximus), colloquially tatu-canastra, tatou, ocarro or tatú carreta, is the largest living species of armadillo (although their extinct relatives, the glyptodonts, were much larger). It lives in South America, ranging throughout as far south as northern Argentina. This species is considered vulnerable to extinction.
The giant armadillo prefers termites and some ants as prey, and often consumes the entire population of a termite mound. It also has been known to prey upon worms, larvae and larger creatures, such as spiders and snakes, and plants. Some giant armadillos have been reported to have eaten bees by digging into beehives.
At least one zoo park, in Villavicencio, Colombia – Los Ocarros – is dedicated to this animal.