In Brazil, large numbers of animals inhabit a forest in Amazon. Amazon rainforest is home to a range of species and have biodiversity. However, continuous deforestation and illegal trade of animals in black market has reduced a number of animals.

Giant armadillo is one of the endangered animals, which are usually hunted by indigenous people for meat and protein. Their weight is up to 50kg and 150cm in size. Interestingly, they have 80 to100 teeth, which is more than any other terrestrial mammal and long front claws.

However, their natural ecology and behavior are not really well known and can see them rarely. Not many times conducted the research until now so that Brazil established a long-term ecological study of giant armadillo in the Brazilian Pantanal wetland.

The project launched in 2011 and expanded the epidemiological study to other armadillo species in that place. In 2013, southern tamanduas and giant anteaters were added for epidemiological study and giant anteaters were additional study subject for the epidemiology.

The project will share their finding through national and international media and offer training for Brazilian nationals in the field. The project aims to examine the ecology and biology of the species and also investigations including radio transmitters, camera traps, burrow surveys, resource monitoring, resource mapping and interviews will be helpful to understand the function in ecosystem.

Source : waza.org