8. Northern Naked-tailed Armadillo Cabassous centralis French: Tatou du Nord / German: Nordliches Nacktschwanzgurteltier / Spanish: Armadillo de cola desnuda septentrional Taxonomy. Tatoua (Ziphila) centralis G. S. Miller, 1899, “Chamelicon,” Cortés, Honduras. This species is monotypic. Distribution. From extreme S Mexico (Lacandon Forest, Chiapas) through Central America to NW Venezuela, W Colombia, and NW Ecuador, W of the Andes. Descriptive notes. Head-body 300-380 mm, tail 130-180 mm, ear 31-37 mm, hindfoot 60-74 mm; weight 2.3-5 kg. Cheeks of the Northern Naked-tailed Armadillo are naked below eyes; ears are moderately large and funnel-shaped, with posterior face of pinnae naked; and eyes are extremely small. Carapace has 11-13 movable transverse bands. Scutes on first two complete rows of scapular shield are much wider than long. The Northern Nakedtailed Armadillo walks on tips of front claws, and hindfeet are directed inward. Chromosomal complement is 2n = 62, FN = 74. Habitat. Dry to mesic, deciduous, semideciduous, and evergreen forests; mixed and secondary forest; forest edges in rocky terrain; dry savanna; and grasslands from sea level to elevations of ¢.3000 m. Food and Feeding. Northern Naked-tailed Armadillos are insectivorous, eating primarily terrestrial ants and termites. Breeding. Northern Naked-tailed Armadillos presumably give birth to single young. Activity patterns. The Northern Naked-tailed Armadillo is nocturnal. It rotates its body while digging its burrows. Movements, Home range and Social organization. The Northern Naked-tailed Armadillo is solitary, one of the most fossorial armadillos, and difficult to observe. It is considered rare whereverit occurs. It emits pig-like grunts or low gurgling squeals when it feels threatened. Status and Conservation. CITES Appendix III (Costa Rica). Classified as Data Deficient on The IUCN Red List. Some Andean populations of the Northern Naked-tailed Armadillo face severe impacts due to habitat loss. It is usually not hunted for food due to its pungent odor and local beliefs, although some hunting occurs in certain parts of its distribution. In part of Mexico,it is thought to be poisonous and is killed whenever it is encountered. Bibliography. Cuarén et al. (1989), Diaz-Nieto & Sanchez-Giraldo (2008), Genoways & Timm (2003), Hayssen et al. (2013), Meritt (1985a), Wetzel (1980), Wetzel et al. (2008).

Published as part of Russell A. Mittermeier & Don E. Wilson, 2018, Chlamyphoridae, pp. 48-71 in Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 8 Insectivores, Sloths and Colugos, Barcelona :Lynx Edicions on page 70, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.6623975