Giant armadillo: Where It Lives, Map & Facts

Where the giant armadillo lives – recorded in 6 countries, with quick facts from Wikidata and an introduction from Wikipedia.

Scientific name	Priodontes maximus
Group	Sloths, anteaters & armadillos
Status	Vulnerable (Wikidata, IUCN category label)
Found in	6 countries
Continents	South America
Mass	113 g (birth weight)
Class	Mammal
Order	Cingulata
Family	Tolypeutidae

Where does the giant armadillo live?

Open-licence (CC0 / CC BY) wild records published on GBIF place the giant armadillo in 6 countries and territories across South America. Wikidata gives its range as: Brazil, Sena Madureira.

Countries with at least a handful of records (a minimum share of the species’ records, to leave out vagrants and escapes). Records with coordinates only; captive and fossil records excluded.

How big is a giant armadillo?

Wikidata records the following for the giant armadillo: mass 113 g (birth weight).

Is the giant armadillo endangered?

The giant armadillo’s conservation status recorded in Wikidata is “Vulnerable” (an IUCN Red List category label). Source: Wikidata.

What kind of animal is the giant armadillo?

The giant armadillo (Priodontes maximus) is a mammal in the order Cingulata and the family Tolypeutidae, genus Priodontes. (Taxonomy from Wikidata.)

About the giant armadillo

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. It is considered to be a vulnerable species.

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.

Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Giant armadillo (revision 1380800291), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: lead section excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Quick facts, taxonomy and status: Wikidata Q755719 (CC0). Countries and pin: GBIF.org occurrence records (CC0 / CC BY 4.0).