Three Banded Armadillo

Tolypeutes matacus  

Southern three-banded armadillos come from South America, specifically in north-central Argentina, east-central Bolivia, and sections of Brazil and Paraguay. The ‘three-banded’ part of their name comes from the three-segmented band-like pattern on their shell. These three bands allows this species to be the only species to curl completely into a ball. The word armadillo translates to “little armored one” in Spanish. These armadillos are brown with armor that covers their head, feet, tail, and back. They have hair on their stomach, like other mammals, that helps them with detecting food and or predators, since their eyesight is poor. They have extremely long nails or claws that walk on their front toes (this is because their three toenails come together to make one large claw) and they have four small nails on the back feet. The inner part of their shell is made of bone, while the outer part of their shell is made of many, many layers of keratin, which is the same material your nails and hair are made of.   

Click HERE for an Armadillo Activity Sheet!

Our Current Residents

Dahlia, Female – Born on May 5, 2021 

Dahlia came to live with us in late 2022 after being transferred from Loveland Living Plant Aquarium in Draper, Utah. Since Dahlia is nocturnal, it may be hard to see her in her habitat, especially since she loves to dig burrows. Dahlia is located inside and is across from the community room.  

You can get to know Dahlia better and meet her in person through our programs scheduled through the Education Department! 

Taxonomy

  • Kingdom: Animalia
  • Phylum: Chordata
  • Class: Mammalia
  • Order: Cingulata
  • Family: Dasypodidae
  • Genus: Tolypeutes
  • Species: Tolypeutes matacus

Animal Facts

Insectivore: mainly eat ants and termites 

Population Status: currently listed as Not Threatened 

Habitat: grasslands, marshes, dry forests, or savannah areas 

Activity: nocturnal- mostly active during the night 


Our Animals