page_title: Southern three-banded armadillo
section_title: Gallery
hierarchical_section_title: Southern three-banded armadillo / Gallery
caption_attribution_description: Français&#160;: Tatou en boule au zoo de Santa Cruz, Bolivie
context_page_description: The southern three-banded armadillo, also called the La Plata three-banded armadillo, is an armadillo species from South America. It is found in parts of northern Argentina, southwestern Brazil, Paraguay and Bolivia, at elevations from sea level to 770 m.
  The southern three-banded armadillo and the other member of the genus Tolypeutes, the Brazilian three-banded armadillo, are the only species of armadillos capable of rolling into a complete ball to defend themselves. The three characteristic bands that cover the back of the animal allow it enough flexibility to fit its tail and head together, allowing it to protect its underbelly, limbs, eyes, nose and ears from predators. The shell covering its body is armored and the outer layer is made out of keratin, the same protein that builds human fingernails. They are typically a yellow or brownish color. They are among the smaller armadillos, with a head-and-body length of about 22 to 27 cm and a weight between 1 and 1.6 kg. Unlike most armadillos, they are not fossorial, but will use abandoned giant anteater burrows.
caption: Individual rolled up into a defensive ball
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