Giant armadillo  (Priodontes maximus)

Hunted throughout its range, a single giant armadillo supplies a great deal of meat, and is the primary source of protein for some indigenous peoples. In addition, live giant armadillos are frequently captured for trade on the black market, and invariably die during transportation or in captivity (8). Despite this species' wide range, it is locally rare, and is likely to be significantly impacted by the exploitation that is occurring. This is further exacerbated by habitat loss resulting from deforestation (1) (8). Current estimates indicate that the giant armadillo may have undergone a worrying population decline of 30 to 50 percent over the past three decades. Without intervention, this trend is likely to continue (8)

The giant armadillo is protected by law in Colombia, Guyana, Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, Suriname and Peru (9) (10) and international trade is banned by its listing on Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) (8). However, hunting for food and sale in the black market continues to occur throughout its entire range (8). Some populations occur within protected reserves, including the Parque das Emas in Brazil (11), and the Central Suriname Nature Reserve, a massive 1.6 million hectare site of pristine rainforest managed by Conservation International (12). Such protection helps to some degree to mitigate the threat of habitat loss, but targeted conservation action is required to prevent the further decline of this fascinating species.