Giant armadillo (Priodontes maximus), French Guiana.
Image: Guillaume Delaitre, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
At a glance
- IUCN category
- VU · Vulnerable
- Animal group
- Mammals
- Population trend
- Decreasing
- Last verified
Conservation overview
The giant armadillo is by far the largest armadillo, a powerful digger with enormous claws. It is assessed as Vulnerable.
It excavates large burrows that many other animals also use.
Range & habitat
Forests and grasslands of South America, east of the Andes.
Major threats
Threats below are drawn from the authoritative sources listed on this page. For the current, complete assessment, see the IUCN Red List.
- Hunting
- Habitat loss
- A naturally low density and slow reproduction
Why it matters
As an 'ecosystem engineer' whose burrows shelter dozens of other species, the giant armadillo plays an outsized role in South American ecosystems.
Sources
Sources for Giant Armadillo
- IUCN Red List — look up Giant Armadillo (authoritative status)
- Animal Diversity Web
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is the giant armadillo called an ecosystem engineer?
Its large burrows are used by many other animals for shelter, temperature regulation, and foraging, so a single giant armadillo benefits a whole community of species.
Why is the giant armadillo Vulnerable?
Published assessments cite hunting, habitat loss, and its naturally low density and slow reproduction, which make recovery difficult. See the IUCN Red List.
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