Braunborsten-Gürteltier
(Chaetophractus villosus)
Together with the duck-billed platypus described above, the showcase of special mammals contains a representative of the armadillos. Armadillos are the only living mammals with a shell made of bony and horny plates. Along with the anteater and the sloth, they belong to the group known as Xenarthra.
Armadillos have been around since the Cretaceous period. Some of their ancestors were much larger. The extinct giant armadillo Holmesina sepentrionalis from North America reached a length of 2 m and a weight up to 220 kg. Our specimen belongs to one of the 2 species of bristlenose armadillos, as can be easily seen from the long hairs on the shell.
The big hairy armadillo lives in southern South America, in the open and dry landscapes east of the Andes. Its varied diet consists of plants, fruits, and insects, but also includes amphibians, reptiles, and carrion. It also likes to rob the nests of ground-nesting birds.
