Chaetophractus vellerosus
screaming hairy armadillo

C. vellersus is distributed in western Bolivia and in northwestern provinces of Argentina in the Monte Desert (Montgomery, 1985).

The hairy armadillo lives in sloping burrows in desert sand dunes. Chaetophractus avoids summer heat and dessication by being fossorial and nocturnal. In the winter, they are diurnal. Their burrows are insulated against extreme heat because of their depth (Montgomery, 1985).

Armadillos possess a characteristic protective armor that consists of the shield on the head; a small shield between the ears on the back of the neck; and a carapace that protects the shoulders, back, sides, and rump. The carapace has 6 to 8 movable bands. This species has more hair than most armadillos. The hairs project from between the scales of the body armor, and the limbs and belly are covered with whitish or light brown hairs. The male is generally larger than the female, and both sexes are heavier in the winter due to a thick layer of fat under the skin (Montgomery, 1985; Nowak, 1997).

Breeding takes place in the autumn. The gestation period is 60 to 75 days and there is more than one litter annually. Litters usually consist of two young, often one male and one female. The young weigh 155 grams at birth, open their eyes after 16 to 30 days, are weaned at 50 to 60 days, and reach sexual maturity at 9 months (Nowak, 1997).

Chaetophractus vellerosus are solitary species that roams away from their burrow during the night (Montgomery, 1985).

Chaetophractus vellerosus is omnivorous, feeding on plant material and on insects. Their main source of insects come from the beetle family (Montgomery, 1985).

Humans frequently eat the hairy armadillo (Montgomery, 1985).

These animals may burrow extensively in loose farm soil and damage crops (Montgomery,1985).

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Chaetophractus vellerosus has the ability to produce highly concentrated urine. This enables it to maintain water balance without drinking for long periods of time, despite the arid nature of its environment. (Montgomery, 1985).