Giant Armadillo
Giant Armadillo
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| オオアルマジロ | |||
| Character Data | |||
| AKA | Arma
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| Romaji | Ōarumajiro
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| Debut | Kemono Friends (2015 Game) | ||
| Animal Data | |||
| Scientific Name | Priodontes maximus
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| Distribution | South America
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| Diet | Insectivore
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| Avg. Lifespan | 12 - 15 Years
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| Read More | Giant Armadillo
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| Conservation | 
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| Giant Armadillo | Anime | Season 2 | Festival | Pavilion | KF3 | Nexon Game | Gallery |
Giant Armadillo is a Friend that first appeared in the original Kemono Friends mobile game.
Appearance
Giant Armadillo has dark-navy or black hair with straight-cut locks and bangs; her eyes are the same color. She has tan-brown armadillo ears atop her head.
She wears a tan, scute-textured newsboy cap with accompanying shoulder, elbow and knee-pads which together evoke the armadillo's natural armor. She wears a white short-sleeved dress shirt and a tan-brown vest, a pleated yellow skirt, and off-white high-top sneakers. Giant Armadillo accessorizes with a tie of the same style as her hat and gear, and white gloves with tan padding on the backs of their hands. An armadillo tail pokes out from under her skirt.
Series Appearances
| Media | Role | First Appearance | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Nexon Game | ↪ Minor character | |
| 2017 | Kemono Friends (2017 Anime) | ↪ Minor character | Episode 6 - Plains |
| 2018 | Kemono Friends Pavilion | ↪ Observable character | |
| 2018 | Kemono Friends Festival | ↪ Minor character | |
| 2018 | Kemono Friends Picross | Puzzle | |
| 2019 | Kemono Friends 2 | ↪ Major character | Episode 1 |
| 2019 | Kemono Friends 2 (Manga) | ↪ Major character | Chapter 2 |
| 2019 | Kemono Friends 3 | ↪ Minor character, playable character | |
| 2019 | Kemono Friends 3: Planet Tours | ↪ Playable character | |
In Real Life
True to their name, giant armadillos are the largest species of armadillo, with wild adults averaging around 25.6 kg (56.4 lbs) in weight and 87.5 cm (34.4 in) long, with the tail contributing an additional 50 cm (20 in). The heaviest observed wild specimen was recorded at 54 kg (119 lb), but they can grow larger still; captive giant armadillos have been recorded with weights of up to 80 kg (180 lb). A considerable part of this weight can be attributed to the tough armor on their backs, composed of bony plates covered with epidermal scales called scutes. The giant armadillo has 11 to 13 hinged bands of these plates along their backs, with a few more on the neck. They are mostly dark brown in color, with a lighter band of scales along their sides and a yellow-white head.
Giant armadillos mainly eat insects, preferring termites and ants; a single giant armadillo is fully capable of emptying an entire termite mound of its residents. Other invertebrates such as worms, larvae, and spiders are viable prey, though they are also known to hunt snakes and even scavenge carrion. They will additionally forage for plant matter, making them omnivores. They have the most teeth of any known terrestrial mammal, sporting a count of 80 to 100.
Despite common public perceptions, most armadillo species do not heavily rely on their armor for direct defense against attackers; its most effective use is to protect them from brambles as they flee into underbrush where larger predators cannot easily follow. Giant armadillos are among the number who are incapable of curling up into a ball, and would rather use their long and tough front claws- the largest in proportion to their bodies of any animal, at a frequent length of 22 cm (8.7 in)- to quickly dig burrows to hide in. The species is solitary and nocturnal, spending much time alone in these burrows; captive giant armadillos are said to sleep for slightly over 18 hours, though wild armadillos require greater vigilance and thus are likely to sleep for less time than this.
The giant armadillo is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, and the species is protected by law in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, and Suriname; in spite of this, poaching for black market sale continues to occur in some of these countries. The animals have a large range, but are rarely seen within it; poaching is a relevant factor, in addition to deforestation destroying essential armadillo habitat. Due to the large and numerous burrows they dig, which can often be used by a great variety of other animal species, giant armadillos are considered to be vital to their ecosystems; their loss is theorized to pose a risk of a cascading loss of the species which depend in part on these burrows, as such shelters would become much scarcer.
Trivia
- Giant armadillos have been reported preying on bees, using their powerful front claws to tear into hives.
- It is possible that some such reports have been instances of an armadillo mistakenly digging into an underground hive while performing unrelated foraging behaviors, or mistaking a hive entrance for that of an ant colony.
- The reproductive biology of the giant armadillo is poorly understood; none have been bred in captivity, and no juveniles are believed to have been recorded in the field.
- Giant armadillos are believed to have at one point been key in controlling leaf-cutter ant populations, which could otherwise pose a serious threat to human crops.
References
- http://www.arkive.org/giant-armadillo/priodontes-maximus/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant_armadillo