T. matacus Skull Replica measures 2.5 inches. T. matacus Skull is museum quality polyurethane cast. 2-part skull (separate cranium and jaw). Made in USA. Known as the Three Banded Armadillo.
T. matacus is found in South America: north central Argentina, east central Bolivia and sections of Brazil and Paraguay. This species is found mainly in the grasslands or marshes near dry forests or savannah areas.
T. matacus total body length is around 300mm with a tail length of 64mm. They are dark brown and heavily armored with a thick, leathery shell that is usually segmented into 3 bands.
Their armor covers the tail, head, feet, and back of the animal. The tail is very stout and immobile. The middle three toes on the back feet are grown together and have a thick claw. The forefeet toes are separated and have 4 claws.
T. matacus is peculiar amoung armadillos for its rolling behavior. It can completely close its shell around its entire body. Usually it leaves a small space between a section of its armor, which it forcefully closes on the hand, finger, or paw of a would-be predator.
The shell is also very efficient at trapping air, which is warmed by body heat, and thus conserves heat loss.
The shell also helps protect them from the thorny vegetation that armadillos frequently pass through. The under surface is soft, hairy skin.
The carapace is not attached to the skin on the two sides, allowing the head, legs and tail to tuck inside when the animal rolls into a ball. This works well against most predators, but unfortunately has made La Plata three-banded armadillos easy prey to human hunters.
The bony armor of T. matacus protects them from most animals. However, large mammals like jaguars and maned wolves can successfully hunt members of this species.
Because their predators are mainly nocturnal, young armadillos will venture out in the late afternoon to return to the safety of their burrows earlier in the evening.
T. matacus are usually solitary but occasionally group together during cold weather.
They do not dig burrows of their own but use abandoned anteater burrows, or they make their dens under dense vegetation.
T. matacus eats mainly ants and termites. They use their strong legs and large claws to dig through insect colonies or under bark to get to their food.
Armadillos tend to have extremely poor eyesight, their hunting skills rely on their abilities to smell their food.
When foraging these Southern armadillos use their strong legs and large claws. They dig through insect colonies or under bark to get to their food. They have a long, sticky, straw-like pink tongue that helps them then to gather up and eat those insects.
Due to habitat loss and hunting, populations of Three-banded armadillos are in decline. They are listed as “near threatened” by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.