“The giant Armadillo”, “Tatú Carreta” or “Gurre grande” (Priodontes maximus) is a specie of cingulate mammal of the Dasypodidae family. It is the largest armadillo today, it was widely found in rainforests in eastern South America; and it extends in varied habitats, as in northern Argentina. It is also called, according to the region, as “Tatú”, “Pejichi”, “giant Cuspa”, “Cuspon”, “Ocarro”, “Carachupa”, “Cabazú” or “Cachicamo”.

They can weigh around 60 kg and can measure more than 1.6 m from the snout to the tip of the tail, where 1/3 to 2/5 is tail.

It has a dark shell, with numerous plates arranged in transverse rows, which also cover the tail. His body is bulky and his limbs are short. Its head is elongated and has small ears. They have large and powerful nails that can reach 20 cm, especially in their front extremities.

He usually makes daily tours of more than 3 km in search of food. With nocturnal habits, its diet consists of ants, termites, spiders, worms, larvae, etc. being able to consume the entire population of a termite cave.

Its mating season is over the summer, with only one offspring, which receives breast milk the first months and gradually adapts to the adult diet.

It has about 100 teeth and is the land mammal with more teeth in the world.

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