Zaedyus pichiy
pichi

Living in grasslands and open pampas, Zaedyus pichiy can be found in Chile, South Argentina, and Patagonia, south to the Strait of Magellan (Macdonald, 1984; Nowak, 1999).

The pichi is found in the grasslands and arid regions of southern South America. It usually resides in areas with sandy soils. It burrows underground but is found above ground both during night and day (Macdonald, 1984; Nowak, 1999).

The head and body length of -Zaedyus pichiy- is between 260-335mm while the tail length is about 100-140mm. The pichi has very small ears, well developed claws, and dark brown armor. The armor usually has white to yellow edges with hairs sticking up between them; hairs range from mostly black bristles to longer yellow and white hairs. The tail is usually yellow (Nowak, 1999).

The pichi is usually nocturnal, but does exhibit some activity by day. They are a solitary species and have been known to enter torpor in the winter. Zaedyus pichiy digs shallow holes for shelter and to avoid predators. Their defensive behavior is to pull legs and arms under their armor so that the edges are in contact with the ground. Once this is done, the predator cannot get to the softer underbelly, and the rest of the body is protected by its armor. The pichi usually maintains a variable body temperature of about 24.0-35.2 degrees Celsius (Nowak, 1999; Macdonald, 1984).

The pichi's diet usually consists of insects, worms, some plant matter (like tubers), carrion, and other animal matter. It has also been known to eat some rodents and lizards (Parker, 1990; Nowak, 1999; Macdonald, 1984).

Some people have used -Zaedyus pichiy- as pets and it has been known to be used as a tasty food source (Macdonald, 1984; Nowak, 1999).

The pichi is still abundant in its natural environment and is widely distributed. It has no special conservation status yet (Parker (ed.), 1990).