Giant armadillo

International partnerships are crucial to our species conservation work overseas. Long-term programmes run by skilled conservationists living in-country facilitate work with local stakeholders to try and protect the habitats so crucial to so many species. A perfect illustration of this is our long-running partnership on the elusive giant armadillo (Priodontes maximus) with the Wild Animal Conservation Institute (ICAS) in Brazil.

Giant armadillos walk around on huge claws that are also used to dig burrows and tear apart termite mounds. They were almost completely unstudied before Arnaud and his team started their work. Thanks to their efforts, we now know that these animals are important ecosystem engineers whose burrows are used by countless other species for shelter and feeding.

These mysterious animals are threatened by habitat loss across their range in Brazil. Land clearance for agriculture, highways, and record-breaking wildfires are pushing giant armadillos closer to the edge of extinction. Add in poaching, and conflict with beekeepers and giant armadillos are facing a very uncertain future. Some populations have disappeared before the ICAS team could begin studying them.  

Thankfully, the ICAS team is hard at work across the Pantanal, Cerrado, and Atlantic Forest in Brazil, gaining as much data about the species as possible. Monitoring giant armadillos with radio tags and camera traps has generated important information about this species and what it needs to survive while ICAS vets conduct pioneering work to understand giant armadillo health.

Meanwhile, work with landowners, businesses, beekeepers, and local communities also ensures that giant armadillos are protected in Brazil. With support from RZSS, the ICAS team train ranch workers in the Pantanal how to fight wildfires and work with beekeepers across the country to produce giant armadillo friendly honey, creating a much brighter future for this enigmatic giant.