Designed by Paul Smith 2006. This website is copyrighted by law.
Material contained herewith may not be used without the prior written permission of FAUNA Paraguay.
Photographs on this page were taken by José Luis Cartes, Hans Hostettler and Hugo del Castillo and are used with their permission.
GREATER NAKED-TAILED ARMADILLO Cabassous tatouay
Smith P 2008 - FAUNA Paraguay Handbook of the Mammals of Paraguay Number 13 Greater Naked-tailed Armadillo Cabassous tatouay
Pdf file 2.27mb
Naked-tailed armadillos are highly-fossorial in behaviour and rarely seen. They can be immeditaely recognised by the enormous, sickle-shaped central claw - an adaptation for digging - and the slender tail which lacks armour. This is the largest of the three species found in Paraguay and the most widely-distributed species. They are found in open habitats with loose soil and often feed underground, invading ant and termite mounds from the inside. Note the large ears of this species, and the reddish colouration.
Click on the images to enlarge them.
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FIGURE 1
FIGURE 2

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FIGURE 3

FIGURE 3
FIGURE 1 - (FPMAM90PH) Adult lateral, Ypety, Departamento Caaguazú (José Luis Cartes 1998).
FIGURE 2 - (FPMAM91PH) Same individual head on (José Luis Cartes 1998).
FIGURE 3 - (FPMAM1159PH) Adult, Pro Cosara/Estancia Nueva Gambach, Departamento Itapúa (Hans Hostettler approx. 2003).
LINKS TO DOWNLOADABLE OPEN ACCESS REFERENCES USED IN THE PREPARATION OF THE FAUNA PARAGUAY HANDBOOK OF THE MAMMALS OF PARAGUAY SPECIES ACCOUNT FOR THIS SPECIES:

Burmeister H 1854 Systematische Uebersicht der Thiere Brasiliens: Welche während einer Reise durch die Provinzen von Rio de Janeiro und Minas Geraës Gesammlt oder beobachtet wurden Vol 1 - G.Reimer, Berlin.
Myers P, Espinosa R, Parr CS, Jones T, Hammond GS, Dewey A 2006 - The Animal Diversity Web (online). Accessed December 2007.
Redford KH 1994 - The Edentates of the Cerrado - Edentata 1: p4-10.
Zajic L, Myers P 2006 -  Cabassous tatouay (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed July 24, 2008.
CLICK THE HANDBOOK LINK ABOVE TO DOWNLOAD PDFS OF THE SPECIES ACCOUNTS FOR THE FAUNA PARAGUAY HANDBOOK OF PARAGUAYAN MAMMALS VOLUME 2: XENARTHRA.