When handled, male C. tatouay make a grunting sound similar to that of a pig, but females are generally silent.
Greater naked-tailed armadillos have a well developed sense of smell, which they use as their primary way of locating prey hidden in the soil or leaf litter.
Communication Channels: acoustic ; chemical
Perception Channels: visual ; tactile ; acoustic ; chemical
The main threats to greater naked-tailed armadillos are habitat destruction and fires, as well as persecution because of their negative effects on agriculture. These armadillos have been driven to extinction in a number of areas. No conservation efforts, however, are currently in place for greater naked-tailed armadillos.
US Federal List: no special status
CITES: no special status
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: least concern
Cabassous tatouay is often hunted in agricultural areas due to the damage caused by its excessive burrowing, which can disrupt crops.
Negative Impacts: crop pest
Cabassous tatouay is sometimes hunted and eaten.
Positive Impacts: food
Cabassous tatouay has an impact on the soil of its habitat due to its extensive burrowing and churning of soil. It is an insectivore and may affect termite and ant density.
Ecosystem Impact: soil aeration
Species Used as Host:
Mutualist Species:
Commensal/Parasitic Species:
Greater naked-tailed armadillos are mostly myrmecophagous, eating primarily ants and termites. They use their large claws on the third digit to dig holes into insect mounds or rotting stumps, then use their long, sticky tongues to remove prey from their tunnels. While feeding on ants and termites, C. tatouay may also injest incidental invertebrates found during foraging and soil.
Animal Foods: insects; terrestrial non-insect arthropods; terrestrial worms
Primary Diet: carnivore (Insectivore )
Cabassous tatouay is found in Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay and Argentina.
Biogeographic Regions: neotropical (Native )
Cabassous tatouay mainly inhabits temperate forests, but can be found in a variety of different environments including along rivers and in grassland communities. They tolerate second-growth habitats, but cannot survive in agricultural areas.
Habitat Regions: terrestrial
Terrestrial Biomes: savanna or grassland ; forest ; scrub forest
No information could be found on the lifespan of C. tatouay, however, a specimen of the closely related C. unicinctus lived seven and a half years in captivity and a C. centralis specimen lived eight years in captivity.
Greater naked-tailed armadillos appear very similar to giant armadillos except for their smaller size and lack of armor on their tails (which range from 90 to 200mm in length). Cabassous tatouay can be distinguised from C. unicinctus by its larger size, and because C. tatouay has a larger, funnel-shaped ear that continues past the head. Both the snout and the head are short and somewhat broad, and their dentition formula is 9/8. Each forefoot has five large claws; the largest claw appears on the third digit.
The armor of greater naked-tailed armadillos is dark brown or black with yellow edges, their undersides are grayish. There can be anywhere from 10 to 13 moveable bands of armor on the back. The bodies of greater naked-tailed armadillos are covered with sparse, coarse hair. Their core body temperature ranges from 32 to 34 degrees C and the basal metabolic rate of the related species C. centralis is 4.8170 W
Cabassous tatouay skulls have a narrow mandible, with the height of the condyloid process greater than the coronoid process. The teeth of C. tatouay are peg-like, and members of this species posses tympanic rings rather than bullae.
The feces of C. tatouay are pelleted and composed of insect remains and soil.
Average mass: 5.35 kg.
Average length: 63.7 cm.
Other Physical Features: endothermic ; homoiothermic; bilateral symmetry
Humans are the most frequent predators of greater naked-tailed armadillos. Their most common anti-predator behavior is burrowing underground to hide from pursuit, which they do using the large claws on their third digits and by rotating their carapace back and forth.
Known Predators:
There is currently no information available on the mating systems of C. tatouay or of the related species C. unicinctus and C. centralis.
Cabassous tatouay gives birth to one offspring per year. There is no other available information on the species, although the related species C. centralis produces one offspring that is born hairless, and with closed eyes and pinnae. The average weight of newborn offspring of C. centralis is 100g for males and 113g for females.
Average number of offspring: 1.
Key Reproductive Features: iteroparous ; gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); sexual ; viviparous
There is currently no information available on the parental investment given by C. tatouay, or of related species. As in all mammals, greater naked-tailed armadillo females care for and nurse their young until they become independent.
Parental Investment: pre-fertilization (Provisioning, Protecting: Female); pre-hatching/birth (Provisioning: Female, Protecting: Female); pre-weaning/fledging (Provisioning: Female)
The greater naked-tailed armadillo (Cabassous tatouay) is an armadillo species from South America.[2]
Larger than the closely related southern naked-tailed armadillos, adults of the greater species measure 41 to 49 cm (16 to 19 in) in head-body length, with a tail 15 to 20 cm (5.9 to 7.9 in) in length. There are eight or nine uniformly shaped teeth on each side of each jaw, with no identifiable incisors or canines. The carapace includes an average of 13 movable bands between the solid shields over the shoulders and hips, with each band having about 30 individual scutes. There is also a scaled shield over the upper surface of the head, with much smaller scales on the ears and on the cheeks below the eyes. The tail bears only small, isolated scales.[3]
Greater naked-tailed armadillos are found in southern Brazil, eastern Paraguay and Uruguay and extreme north-eastern Argentina.[1] It inhabits lowland and submontane forests, and also relatively open areas such as the Cerrado and Pantanal. There are no recognised subspecies.[3]
Greater naked-tailed armadillos feed on ants and termites and sleeps in burrows, often dug within termite mounds. Burrows are typically about 20 to 25 cm (7.9 to 9.8 in) in width, and positioned so that their entrances face away from the prevailing winds.[4]
The greater naked-tailed armadillo (Cabassous tatouay) is an armadillo species from South America.