Skip to Content

Hairy Long-Nosed Armadillo: Is This Species Endangered?

Hairy long-nosed armadillos are nocturnal animals that weigh up to 5 kg and have a tail as long as the entire length of their body. It is an endangered species with only 12 known individuals in its wild population left.

This creature is hunted for meat by approximately 100 people every year and it now lives in 10% of its original habitat according to IUCN which has listed this creature as vulnerable since 2006.

Hairy Long-nosed Armadillos eat ant, beetle, and termite diets. Their cone-shaped claws are used as a defensive weapon against hawks or coyotes since they eat primarily ants, beetles, and termites.

  • Status: Vulnerable 
  • Known as: Hairy Long-nosed Armadillo
  • Estimated numbers left in the wild: Unknown

Description

The word armadillo means ‘little man in armor’ in Spanish, and it does help describe this member of the species. However, unlike most of its relatives, which have little or no hair on the body, the hairy long-nosed armadillo is blessed with an extremely well-haired back and abdomen.

The head of this armadillo, which ends in a very long snout, has no hair and the tail also is hairless. Hairy long-nosed armadillos vary in length between 36.5 to 105 centimeters, including the tail.

These animals weigh 1 kilogram to 10 kilograms. As with all the armadillo tribes, the hairy long-nosed armadillo possesses a suit of armor that protects from predators.

The armor on the back has 11 flexible bands that allow the animal to roll up into a nearly impregnable ball if attacked.

See Related: Fun Bear Facts

Habitat

Hairy Long-Nosed Armadillo in the Wild

The hairy long-nosed armadillo prefers to inhabit areas where it can avail itself of the protective cover offered by limestone formations.

It also lives in places where the dense vegetation will offer it shade. This armadillo is not fussy about the type of forest it inhabits and is equally at home in deciduous or evergreen woods. It feeds not only on insects and worms but also on small lizards and salamanders.

The burrows dug by the hairy long-nosed armadillo can extend into the earth for 7.5 meters and can be up to 3.5 meters deep. At the end of the tunnel is the nest chamber, filled with dried grass. Little is known about the breeding habits of this armadillo, but same-sex armadillos will often share the nest chamber.

Young armadillos are referred to as pups, while the males are called listers and the females zeds. If hairy long-nosed armadillos congregate, the assembly is called a fez. These armadillos show little fear of man, which has probably acted to their detriment.

See Related: Reasons Why is Diversity Important to Ecosystems 

Location

Aerial view of Aguas Calientes, Peru
Nic Y-C / Unsplash

The hairy long-nosed armadillo has a very restricted range and is found only in forests in Peru.

Hairy Long-nosed Armadillos are nocturnal animals

The Hairy Long-nosed Armadillo is a nocturnal, terrestrial animal that loves to wander about alone. Its diet mainly consists of arthropods and other invertebrates as it typically dwells near streams and marshes.

Hairy Long-nosed armadillos eat ants, beetle, and termite

Leaf-cutter ant (Atta sp.) near Puerto Viejo de Sarapiqui, Costa Rica.
Kevin / Adobe Stock

The nocturnal armadillo leaves its subterranean home in the early evenings after dark to search for food. The majority of their diet is comprised of insects, including termites, beetles, grubs, cockroaches, and scorpions, to name a few.

Hairy long-nosed armadillos use cone-shaped claws for defensive weapons

The Hairy Long-nosed Armadillo has long, cone-shaped claws for digging and searching for food. Their peglike teeth crunch on insects, which is an armadillo’s favorite meal.

The hairy long-nosed armadillo is an endangered species

The hairy long-nosed armadillo is an endangered species with only 12 known individuals in its wild population left according to IUCN which has listed this creature as vulnerable since 2006. This was due to the fact that the animal is being hunted for meat by approximately 100 people every year and it now lives in 10% of its original habitat.

See Related: Environmental Organisations in Europe

Conservation

Threats

The greatest threat to the hairy long-nosed armadillo is habitat destruction. As more and more forests in the Peruvian lowlands and highlands are logged or removed for agricultural reasons, the amount of suitable armadillo habitat shrinks. It is thought that hunting the armadillo, probably mostly for meat, contributes to its decreasing numbers.

See Related: Endangered Species in Oklahoma

Conservation efforts

Although very little is known about the hairy long-nosed armadillo, it has received official protection in Peru. However, enforcement of that protection is spotty at best.

See Related: How to be an Environmental Activist

Organizations

Do you know of or are you a part of an organization that works to conserve the Hairy, Long-nosed Armadillo? Then please contact us to have it featured on Our Endangered World.

Conclusion

Hairy Long-nosed Armadillos are native to Peru and prefer limestone formations as a habitat. They vary in length between 36.5 to 105 centimeters, including the tail. These animals weigh 1 kilogram to 10 kilograms.

As with all the armadillo tribes, Hairy Long-nosed Armadillos have a suit of armor that protects them from predators by 11 flexible bands on their back which allow them to roll up into a nearly impregnable ball if attacked.

They dig burrows that can extend 7.5 meters deep for 3 meters deep at the end of the tunnel is a nest chamber filled with dry grass where young called pups will hatch and they will reproduce seasonally with little known about their breeding habits.

Hairy Long-nosed Armadillos show little fear of man and they are hunted for meat which is a threat to them. These species have received official protection in Peru but it is not enforced and is now considered endangered because of habitat loss and hunting for food.

FAQ

What is Hairy Long-nosed Armadillo?

The hairy long-nosed armadillo is a strange animal.
It has a hard, skin-looking shell with leathery skin over it. It has long ears and a small tail that tapers to a point. The front of its tail is protected by scales that are hardened from keratin. Its feet have four claws near the front and a fifth claw on the heel. Hairy long-nosed armadillo has very poor eyesight with their ears being used to find prey. H. trinitatus is classified as vulnerable by IUCN in its Red List of Threatened Species because of habitat loss and hunting for food in Peru.

The Hairy Long-nosed Armadillo is a four-legged animal. It weighs an average of 3 pounds. It looks like other armadillos but it has extra hair on its tail, back, and legs. This type of animal was found by zoologist Markus Boitard in 1977 and is now believed to be extinct.

Hairy long-nosed armadillos live in South America and eat plants, insects, and small animals. The hairy Long-nosed Armadillo is an extinct species of mammal from South America.

It is a type of armadillo, which is a mammal known for having a leathery armor shell.
Hairy armadillos are known to eat beetles, termites, and larvae. They are solitary, nocturnal mammals. Their slow metabolism makes them more likely to survive for months without food or water.

This species’ habitat is usually a dry open thorn scrub habitat where it is not threatened because it does not compete with other species that are common in its range.

Where do Hairy Long-nosed Armadillos live and what type of habitat do they prefer?

Hairy Long-nosed Armadillo habitat is typically dry shrubland and can hold from sources of water such as puddles, muddy pools, and rainwater drains.
They are native to Peru and prefer limestone rocks as a habitat so they are usually found in subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist montane forests.

The population of these species has dropped, making them endangered as a result of habitat destruction and hunting for food.

Hairy Long-nosed Armadillos are a type that can also be found living in the rainforest. They live in the rainforest and eat plants, fruits, and other plants that grow there. They generally enjoy eating greens, fruits, and other vegetation that grows in the rainforest.

Hairy Long-nosed Armadillo is a species that spends most of its time digging tunnels and burrows to find shelter from predators. It is a species that spends most of its time digging tunnels and burrows to find shelter from predators. That is why it prefers living in regions that have heavy rainfall and is also found in grasslands as well as savannas.

Do Hairy Long-nosed Armadillos have any predators?

Hairy long-nosed Armadillos have a variety of predators, including coyotes, raccoons, cougars, and bobcats. They also have eggs that are vulnerable to snakes and other potential pests. That makes this creature face a high risk of extinction from predation.

Hairy long-nosed armadillos are a threatened species in Texas because their population has been declining due to people who work very hard to keep them from digging under buildings or into yards. This might be because they are shy, but they are also very territorial.

They spend a lot of time in the sun, so they protect themselves from the sun.

How do Hairy Long-nosed Armadillos defend themselves?

The Hairy Long-nosed Armadillos employ defensive mechanisms to avoid predators. They have a suite of armored plates on their back, which they can wrap up into a nearly unbreakable ball if attacked.

These animals utilize auto-hemorrhaging as a defensive strategy, where they bleed through their pores and coat themselves with blood to deter predators.
Hairy Long-nosed Armadillos also have sharp claws and teeth to use in situations where they are attacked by predators, but the Hairy Long-nosed Armadillos will do whatever they can to avoid confrontation with large animals.

There is a hairy, long-nosed armadillo that has a powerful stink. They have sharp claws and a protective skull to defend themselves and can run 10 miles per hour.

These armadillos usually try to escape from predators by running away. Sometimes they get eaten by coyotes, jaguars, bobcats, or bears.

Hairy long-nosed armadillo distribution is very restricted. How are their numbers being affected by deforestation, urbanization, hunting, etc.?

Armadillo’s nose is long and hairy. They eat termites and ants that eat plants. This helps to control the number of insects that would eat plants.
But this animal has a limited distribution and they have been hunted for food and their habitat has been pushed out by urban sprawl or deforestation, so now they are listed as “Near Threatened” on the IUCN Redlist.

Hairy Long-nosed Armadillos are in need of urgent conservation efforts in order to help prevent them from possibly going extinct in the future.

Hairy long-nosed armadillos are mammals that can weigh up to 20 lbs. Males tend to be bigger than females. They have sharp claws to help them dig for food, and long sticky tongues to eat ants and termites.

They also have very poor eyesight but an excellent sense of smell which is why they are so good at finding insects. Hairy Long-nosed Armadillos are mammals that can weigh up to 20 lbs. Males tend to be bigger than females.

They have sharp claws to help them dig for food, and long sticky tongues to eat ants and termites.

Hairy Long-nosed Armadillos live in South America and mostly in Brazil and Paraguay. Some of them live in Argentina, Bolivia, and Uruguay too. These armadillos have been hunted for their meat so much that they are endangered. But if we make hunting them restricted, then they might not get hurt by us anymore.

Other Species Profiles

Related Resources