giant ARMADILLO teacher resource guide

Transcription

1 gi a n t ARMADILLO e c r u o s e r r e h c a e t

2 GENERAL ARMADILLO INFORMATION Who are s related to? Armadillos are mammals, meaning they have hair and their babies drink milk. u Ask the class to name some other animals that are mammals. Make sure to include some of their favorite animals like dogs, cats and horses, as well as humans. Armadillos are a member of the order Xenarthra, which also includes anteaters and sloths. These species have shared adaptations including a lack of teeth, reduction of teeth, or lack of tooth enamel; specialized adaptations to their vertebrae; and typically have reduced fingers and toes with long sharp claws. Class: Mammalia Order: Xenarthra Family: Dasypodidae (all s) Genus: (9 different genera) Species: (21 different species) What makes s different? It would be hard to mistake an for a sloth or an anteater for one obvious reason: the shell, or carapace, which covers most of an s body (all except the underbelly). This carapace is made up of bony plates called scutes, that are covered with skin and serve as armor against potential predators like jaguars. Armadillos are the only mammals in the world to have a shell. u Ask the class to name some other animals that have shells. Examples: turtles and tortoises, snails, crabs and lobsters. Illustration of a glyptodont by artist Luccas Longo 1 Cover Illustrations by Geraldo Franca Jr. Prehistoric past: The existence of s and their relatives the Xenarthrans can be traced back to the early Tertiary, about 60 million years ago. Fossil evidence shows that Xenarthrans were first found in South America and then expanded into Central America and parts of North America. Although once abundant, nearly all the giant Xenarthrans went extinct at the end of the Pleistocene (11,700 years ago). These included prehistoric s called glyptodonts which could reach the size of a small automobile (think Volkswagen Beetle). They had armored shells like the s of today. There were also gigantic ground sloths, too heavy to live in trees, that were over three meters (10 ft) long and 350 kilograms (770 pounds). Today, these giants are gone, their extinction blamed on a combination of climate change and hunting by early humans, who used glyptodont shells as shelters. However, almost forgotten by science, one species reminiscent of this amazing past still exists: the giant. Size comparison: man, glyptodont, modern s

3 GIANT ARMADILLOS How bi g i s a GIANT? 1.5 meters (5 feet) long and 50 kilograms (110 lbs) Whe re d o g ian t s live? Range: Giant s are found in 12 countries throughout South America, east of the Andes Mountains. Including French Guiana, Guyana, and Suriname, and in large parts of Venezuela, Columbia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay, Argentina, and Brazil. Habitat: Giant s live in a variety of habitats, ranging from primary rain forest (forest that has not been affected by human activities) to savannahs, with limited human disturbance. q Giant range map q Armadillo range map (all 21 species) What d oes a gian t eat? Bugs! Giant s eat a diet consisting almost entirely of ants and termites. Typically animals that eat primarily insects are referred to as insectivores, however animals that specialize in eating ants and termites are distinguished as being myrmecophagous. This specialized diet has caused giant s to have some interesting adaptations including very large front claws for digging in termite mounds, a long sticky tongue to collect insects, and reduced teeth since teeth are not necessary in an Termite mound that has been foraged by an insect-only diet. u Have the class name some other animals that eat bugs. Examples: lizards, frogs, dragon flies (eat mosquitoes), bats (eat flying insects like moths and mosquitoes) u Ask the class if they can think of any special adaptations these animals have for catching or eating insects. 2

4 Natural Behavior: GIANT ARMADILLOS A house fit for an Giant s dig burrows that they call home. These deep burrows offer a safe resting place for the giant s during the day, when they sleep. Giant s are nocturnal, meaning they are awake at night. Because the burrows are deep in the ground the soil helps to keep their home at a constant temperature, like insulation and a thermostat does in your house. An only lives in the same burrow for a few days, then they move on and dig another, leaving their old burrow for other animals to use. u Can the class name other animals that dig burrows to live in? Examples: gophers and moles, some types of lizards, tortoises, rabbits, and weasels. Home Range and Population Density: Only a few giant s will share the same habitat. In a way you could say giant s don t really like having neighbors. Each will live in a home range estimated to be between 10 to 30 square kilometers ( square miles), on average 15 square kilometers (5.8 square miles). This is roughly the same size as 2,ooo professional football (soccer) fields! Like all animals giant s require specific s to survive; food, water and shelter. For giant s this means food in the form of ants and termites, water in the form of puddles, ponds or streams, and shelter in the form of appropriate substrate for them to dig a burrow. All of these s are found within a giant s home range. Unique Characteristics and Adaptations: Listening and sniffing out bugs Armadillos have an excellent sense of smell and hearing to help find their favorite food items, ants and termites, which live underground. Eyesight, however, doesn t offer them much of an advantage in finding their food, so their sense of sight is not very good. Giant s use their impressive claws to dig burrows and break into termite mounds 3 Built in armor All s have shells, also known as a carapace. The shell is made of small bone plates, called scutes that are covered in skin. The shell helps to protect s from predators, animals such as dogs and large cats, like pumas (mountain lions) or jaguars. When a giant feels threatened it will dig a hole as fast as it can to hide inside. Digging machines Giant s dig burrows and break into termite mounds. Termite mounds are as hard as concrete, but a giant can destroy a termite mound in five minutes! In order to do this they need special tools, which in the giant s case means claws that can grow to be 20 cm (almost 8 inches) long! Each front foot has four fingers. Imagine if we combined our ring finger and middle finger to make one finger, that s what a giant s hand would look like. The largest claw is located on their third finger, where our ring and middle finger are located.

5 GIANT ARMADILLOS What is a giant scared of? Natural predators of giant s are big cats like puma and jaguars, but people are the biggest threat. Giant s are sensitive to habitat destruction. If people cause too much disruption to the habitat, like cutting down trees and burning the land to make room for farming, the s can t survive. In some areas people eat giant s as food. And in other places people think they are bad luck, so they kill giant s if they see them. Sometimes people poison termite and ant nests to get rid of the insects, but that means s don t have any more food, and they might accidentally eat the poison too. Giant s are good for the environment! Giant s are ecosystem engineers. Ecosystem Engineers are animals that modify their environment, and as a result, create habitats that are utilized by other species of plants and animals. Beavers are some of the best known ecosystem engineers due to their natural behavior of cutting down trees and damming rivers. These beaver dams then create flooded areas of water that are utilized by a multitude of animal and plant species. A peccary exiting a giant burrow Giant s are ecosystem engineers because they dig large burrows. They only use the burrows for several days before they move on to another area and dig a new burrow. When they leave their old burrows behind, the area is used by as many as 24 other animal species! Some animals use the inside of the burrow to escape extreme temperatures (the temperatures inside a burrow remain more constant that the outside air), as shelter from predators, and even to hide their young. Other animals use the sand mound outside the burrow to sun themselves or forage for insects. Pictures of species using giant burrows can be found in the Lesson 3. Animals that use giant burrows: Other species (six-banded, nine-banded, naked-tailed s), tamanduas (small anteaters), tortoises, collared peccaries (pig species), ocelots (wild cat species), tayras (related to the weasel), raccoons and their relatives, large and small lizard species, rodents and birds. An ocelot emerges from an burrow Animals that use the sand mound of giant s: Tapirs (large species related to horses and rhinoceros), foxes, white-lipped peccaries (large pig species), bush dogs, puma/mountain lions, giant anteaters, lizards, birds and rodents. 4

6 GIANT ARMADILLO PROJECT The Giant Armadillo Project is located in the Pantanal of Brazil. The project aims to establish the first long-term ecological study of giant s as well as other species of Xenarthra in the Brazilian Pantanal and to use these species as ambassadors for biodiversity conservation through education, outreach initiatives, and media campaigns. The project focuses on researching the ecology and biology of giant s to understand their function in the ecosystem; research on health including all other Xenarthra species present in the study area; capacity building and training of biologists, veterinarians and professionals interested in conservation; environmental education using giant s and other Xenarthra as ambassadors for biodiversity conservation; as well as running campaigns and outreach for key environmental threats (habitat alteration, use of poison on termite mounds). The Pantanal ecosystem The Pantanal covers 210,000 square km (81,000 square miles) of land. The average rainfall reaches 1400 mm (55 inches), most of which falls during the months of October-March. Heavy rainfall results in seasonal flooding resulting in the world s largest wetland, ten times larger than the Florida everglades. Located just degrees south of the equator the climate of the Pantanal is tropical and semi-humid with an average temperature of 25 degrees Celsius (77 degrees Fahrenheit). This unique ecosystem is home to a huge variety of plant and animal species including 3500 plant, 656 bird, 325 fish, 159 mammal, 53 amphibian, and 98 reptile species. 5

7 WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP! What can people do to help protect giant s? Learn more about giant s and tell your friends! You can learn more about the giant by going to the Giant Armadillo Project s website at The site has information about giant s, s for educators and fun activities for kids. Tell your friends and family! Most people don t know giant s exist. Share this amazing species with your friends and family and let them know how important it is to protect giant s. You could even include giant s in a school report or science fair project. Support research and conservation. Support the Giant Armadillo Project or your local zoo conservation department, through donations or by volunteering. These projects are working to protect giant s and their habitats in South America. Become an ambassador in your country! Help your friends and family practice safe behaviors that help giant s and all species. Do not hunt s. In Brazil, it is against the law to kill giant s. Keep them alive so that they can continue to build burrows that help other animals. Do not poison insects. The poisons used on ant and termite mounds can injure s and other species, like birds and anteaters, by making them sick. The poison also kills insects that are good for the environment like bees, which pollinate crops. Drive carefully. Armadillos don t see very well, so they can t see cars when they are crossing the road. Use caution when driving and slow down to wait for s to cross. Do not burn the land. When clearing fields for farming, many people burn the land. Armadillos can hide in their burrows to escape the fire but the smoke will fill their burrows and suffocate them. Buy ecologically friendly products Shade grown coffee helps sustain rainforests, reduces pesticide use and promotes greater biodiversity than other coffee growing techniques, and it often tastes better. Look on the coffee label for words like fair trade, certified organic, or bird friendly. Sustainable chocolate is very similar to shade grown coffee. Sustainable chocolate reduces deforestation and pesticide use, promoting biodiversity. Look for labels that indicate the chocolate is shade grown, organic, or fair trade. Additional information on sustainable chocolate can be found at 6 Illustration by Geraldo Franca Jr.

8 WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP! (continued) Certified bananas through the Rainforest Alliance ensure that bananas have been grown under strict criteria preventing deforestation, maintaining standards for waste management and recycling, reduced use of pesticides, and providing decent pay and conditions for workers. Learn more about the Rainforest Alliance s banana certification at agriculture/crops/fruits/bananas Certified lumber is sustainably harvested lumber that ensures the long term health of a forest. Trees are selectively cut and replanted, preventing clear cutting which destroys sections of forests and habitats. Look for lumber certified through the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Use environmentally friendly pest control One of the easiest ways to help s and other insect eating animals is to stop using insecticides, poisons that kills insects. Insecticides often kill all insects that are in the area, even good insects like butterflies and dragonflies. There are lots of natural ways to remove pest insects from unwanted places without using poison: such as netting, non-toxic sprays like vinegar and soap, or even something as simple as petroleum jelly. To see some suggestions on how to organically remove pests look at the following website or do an online search for natural insecticides or organic gardening Encourage your family and friends to use environmentally friendly pest removal too, it s good for us, good for animals and good for the environment! ARMADILLOS APPRECIATE YOUR HELP! 7 Special thanks to Kristen Waldron, Director of Conservation Education/Integration at the Philadelphia Zoo, and Laurie Cummins, Education Manager at Disney s Animal Kingdom, for their assistance and guidance in creating these materials.

9 GLOSSARY Adaptations changes to a plant or animal that helps it to survive in its environment. Average a central value of a set of numbers. Determined by adding quantities together and then divided by the number of quantities used. Behavior the action or response of an organism to a stimulus or its environment. Best Fit Line a straight line that best represents the direction and data on a scatter plot. Biodiversity the diversity of plant and animal species within an environment. Biomes regions around the world made up of similar ecosystems. Camera Trap a remotely activated camera equipped with a sensor that triggers a photo to be taken. Carapace a bony shield located on the back of an animal, made of many dermal scutes. Carnivore animals that eat other animals Coexist to exist together or at the same time; to live in peace with each other. Data Point is an individual item of factual information found in a data set. Decomposer a living organism that breaks down and recycles nutrients from dead animals and plants. Diurnal active during the day. Ecosystem the interaction of all living and non-living elements in an area. Ecosystem Engineer a plant or animal that changes its physical surroundings and in doing so, creates and modifies habitats that influence other species. Enrichment the addition of items to enhance an animal s environment by encouraging natural behaviors. Ethogram an inventory of the behaviors and actions exhibited by an animal; ethograms are a way of collecting behavioral information on animals in an organized format. Extinct no longer in existence; the species has ended or died out. Food Chain a way of showing how food energy flows from one organism to the next, starting with the sun. Food Web shows how energy flows between many different plants and animals in an ecosystem; a food web is made up of many related food chains. Forage to search for food or provisions Habitat the place where a plant or animal finds everything it needs to survive, including food, water, shelter and a place to raise young. Habitat fragmentation the partitioning of larger habitats into smaller more isolated areas, often resulting from human development and negatively impacting the abundance and diversity of plants and animals in the area. Herbivore animals that eat plants Home Range the area an animal uses for its daily activities. An animal s home range is an area within the habitat where it is found. Insecticides a chemical substance used to kill insects Insectivore an animal that eats primarily insects. Myrmecophagous animals that specialize in eating ants and termites Nocturnal active at night Omnivore animals that eat plants and animals Scutes individual bony plates which are covered in skin. Shelter something that covers or affords protection to animals Sustainable the ability to maintain at a certain rate or level; the ability to continue with minimal long-term effects on the environment. Telemetry the measurement and transmission of data using remote sources such as radio waves. Thermal Refuge a place that provides shelter or protection from temperature extremes Wildlife Corridors areas that connect two or more areas of similar habitat