Big Hairy Armadillo

Chaetophractus villosus, commonly called the Big Hairy Armadillo is one of the largest and most numerous armadillos in South America. It lives from sea level to altitudes of up to 1,300 meters across the southern portion of South America and can be found in grasslands, forests, savannahs, and has even started claiming agricultural areas as its home. It is an accomplished digger and spends most of its time below ground. They make both temporary and long term burrows depending on their food source. The armadillo can use specially evolved membranes in its nose in order to obtain oxygen from the surrounding soil particles without inhaling any of the soil itself. Armadillos are protected from predators by a series of thin bony plates along the head and back. They reach sexual maturity at around nine months and have been known to live over thirty years in captivity. Though this animal is routinely harvested for its meat and its shell, or simply killed for pestering farmers, it has shown amazing resiliency and populations seem to be handling this exploitation well. Because of this there are currently no protective practices in place for this armadillo but it does live in many protected areas. This species of armadillo is a preferred research animal due to its adaptability to the lab setting, and relative hardiness in situations of stress.