Chaetophractus villosus Skull Replica measures 3.6 inches. Chaetophractus villosus Skull is museum quality polyurethane cast. 2-part skull (separate cranium and jaw). Made in USA. Known as the Large Hairy Armadillo.
Chaetophractus villosus is one of the largest and most numerous armadillos in South America.
The Chaetophractus villosus lives from sea level to altitudes of up to 1,300 meters across the southern portion of South America, and can be found in grasslands, forests, and savannahs, and has even started claiming agricultural areas as its home.
It is an accomplished digger and spends most of its time below ground. Chaetophractus villosus is the most abundant species of armadillo in Argentina. Their head and body are covered by protective bony plates, with its head plate being the most prominent.
Along its back, flexible bands that encircle the torso allow flexibility in this otherwise stiff armor. The underside is densely covered in hair and this trait is how it got its common name.
They can use specially evolved membranes in its nose to obtain oxygen from the surrounding soil particles without inhaling any of the soil itself.
Chaetophractus villosus are protected from predators by a series of thin, bony plates along the head and back. Along its back, it has flexible bands that encircle the torso allow flexibility in this otherwise stiff armor.
Long, coarse hairs also project from the bony plates, making it much hairier than other related species. The average individual grows from 10 to 13 in. in body length, and weighs 4.4 lb. The tail measures 3.5 to 6.7 in. long.
Chaetophractus villosus spend most of their time burrowing in the ground and looking for insects or worms as its main foraging method. Its powerful front claws and snout allow it to rout through the sediment with relative ease.
The Chaetophractus villosus is a least-concern species that has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as evaluated as not being a focus of species conservation because the specific species is still plentiful in the wild. They do not qualify as threatened, near threatened, or (before 2001) conservation dependent.
