The Brazilian Three-banded Armadillo (Tolypeutes tricinctus) lives in the tropical forests of Brazil. Three-banded Armadillos are the only species of armadillo that can roll itself into a ball (the other species of three-banded armadillo is the Southern three-banded armadillo). Just like the Nine banded armadillo, its name does not actually say that much about how many bands the armadillo has, it can be either two, three or four. They have a short, thick tail.
When they feel threatened they roll into a ball, leaving only a very small opening between shell edges, and they even shut that small opening too when an intruder tries to get through.
Interesting fact They walk on the tips of their foreclaws, even when they are running.
Picture of the Brazilian three-banded armadillo in Edmonton Zoo in Canada, by ChrisStubbs, licensed under GFDL
The Brazilian three-banded armadillo is listed as Vulnerable (VU), considered to be facing a high risk of extinction in the wild, on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
Namings for the Brazilian threebanded armadillo
A young / baby of a Brazilian threebanded armadillo is called a 'pup'. The females are called 'zed' and males 'lister'. A Brazilian threebanded armadillo group is called a 'fez'.Countries
Brazil
Custom Search