Wednesday 27 February 2013 Large Hairy Armadillo - The Delicious Omnivore

The Large Hairy Armadillo (Chaetophractus villosus) is the perfect name for this South American native, heavily armored around the body and head with thick bony plates. The difference from most other armadillos is a dense covering of long whitish or light brown hairs. These hairs cover his underparts and project from around the edges of his armor plating. It's Latin name, Chaetophractus Villosus, translates to "Hairy shell Hairy".

An adult weighs approximately two kilograms, or 4.4 pounds, with a snout to tail length varying from 31 cm (12.12 inches) to 57 cm (22.4 inches).

The Large Hairy Armadillo makes its home in Bolivia, Argentina,Chile, Paraguay, and Tierra del Fuego. They can be found from sea level to 1300 meters, in grasslands, savanna, forests, and farmland. Their species is widely distributed and highly adaptive. Some live close to human habitation, and indulge in "dumpster diving" meals, with maggots being a favorite treat.

Humans consider them pests, but also delicious. They are eaten and enjoyed quite extensively. Due to their heavy armor, the Large Hairy Armadillo's only serious predator is man. They are hunted for sport, food, or making musical instruments. They are often victims of road kill as well, due to their poor eyesight.

With their wide distribution and large population, these armadillos are considered to be of Least Concern on the Red List of the IUCN, the International Union of Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources. They are prolific breeders, reaching sexual maturity at an age of about nine months. Females commonly have three litters a year with two offspring. The Large Hairy AcreateElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })();