The battleship is one of the most ancient and unusual animals on the planet. At home, representatives of this family are called amadillas or "pocket dinosaurs." It is believed that the first armadillos appeared on Earth 55 million years ago. Unlike many other representatives of the fauna, these animals survived for such a long time mainly due to the presence of the shell. The largest representative of this family is Priodontes maximus - a giant armadillo.
Habitat
In the wild, this species of armadillos lives only in South America. You can meet these unusual spectacular “mini dinosaurs” from Venezuela in the south to Paraguay in the north. A giant battleship is an animal whose habitat is thus quite extensive. Amadillas live on this square mainly in woodlands only. The territorial area of one animal is usually 1-3 km square . Such armadillos lead a solitary lifestyle.
Animal description
The appearance of the giant armadillos are actually impressive. The body length of an adult can reach 75-100 cm. The weight of the animal often exceeds 30 kg. That is, in size Priodontes maximus resembles a 4-6-month-old piglet. In captivity, the weight of this variety of armadillos can reach 60 kg.
The whole body - the sides, tail, head, back - of this southern animal is covered with small horny shields, interconnected by elastic fabric. Due to this, the armor of the amadilla is characterized by mobility. The color of the shell of the giant armadillo is dark brown. In any case, the abdomen of Priodontes maximus is always lighter than the back.
The muzzle of a giant armadillo has a tubular shape. The teeth of the animal are directed back. On the legs of amadilla there are large claws. The tongue of this battleship, like most other members of the family, is long and sticky. The animal easily "picks up" even the most nimble insects.
Animal ration
Despite its frightening appearance, the giant armadillo is not a dangerous predator. He eats in the wild mainly termites, worms and various kinds of crawling and flying insects. The sharp long claws of Priodontes maximus are not necessary for attack, but for ruining anthills and digging holes.
An interesting feature of the giant armadillo is that, despite its massiveness, this beast can easily stand on its hind legs. If necessary, therefore, Priodontes maximus freely reaches the top of the largest termite mound.
How to breed
With relatives Priodontes maximus meet only when they want to have offspring. Mature in these animals occurs at the age of about a year. Pregnancy in females of a giant armadillo does not last too long - about 4 months. In a litter, one or two cubs are most often. Only their mother takes part in their upbringing. The female feeds the young with milk for about six months. Then the kids begin an independent life.
Economic value
In most parts of South America, amadilla is not liked and considered a pest of fields. The habitat of the giant armadillo is vast, and it rarely intersects with people. However, sometimes these animals nevertheless raid the crops. Of course, they do not eat plants, but they organize pogroms, tearing the earth in search of insects. Also, amadillas, roaming the field, wrinkle planting, causing sometimes significant damage.
The pocket dinosaur has no special economic value. Armadillo Indians, for example, never eat meat (because of its pronounced musky taste). But some Europeans find this product quite tasty and reminiscent of pork. Therefore, armadillos are not only exterminated by farmers, but also by lovers of delicacies. This animal does not belong to endangered species. However, today he is considered rare.
Extinct Giant Armadillos
Priodontes maximus - today, as already mentioned, the largest representative of the family. However, in prehistoric times on the Earth, of course, there lived much more “overall” battleships. For example, in the south of North America (10–11 thousand years ago), glyptodons and doedicurus lived relatively recently, very similar in appearance to the modern Priodontes maximus, but having much larger sizes. Archaeologists find their remains quite often. The body length of these monsters could reach 3-4 meters.