Ecology of the Giant Armadillo (Priodontes maximus) in the Grasslands of Central Brazil

Using Remote Sensing and Random Forest to Assess the Conservation Status of Critical Cerrado Habitats in Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil

“…The crucial role giant armadillos have in Cerrado habitats [42] and their requirement for large, unfragmented areas [43] supports the need to identify and protect remaining large patches of Cerrado habitats. Research conducted by the Giant Armadillo Conservation project in the adjacent Pantanal region demonstrates that giant armadillos are "ecosystem engineers" and play a key role in the ecosystem, since they dig deep burrows that provide shelter and resources for over 25 other species such as the endangered maned wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus) and the jaguar (Panthera orca) [42].…”

“…Another study found only one instance of a giant armadillo (n = 225) living outside the strictly protected study area (Emas National Park) that was not connected by habitat corridors [43]. Identifying locations of large patches of Cerrado habitats will help researchers better predict potential locations of elusive species such as the giant armadillo that require large, unfragmented habitats [43,44].…”

Observations on the Diet of the Giant Armadillo (Priodontes maximus Kerr, 1792)

“…These observations suggest that, although primarily insectivorous (Redford, 1987;Silveira et al, 2009;Superina & Abba, 2010), fruit also forms part of the Priodontes diet. Indeed, Barreto et al (1985) report-in one of three Priodontes stomachs examined in Colombia.…”

Dogs as a tool to improve bird-strike mortality estimates at wind farms

“…Therefore, collision assessments made by dogs need one dog and one technician, which has higher costs. Nevertheless, as the time spent during searches can be reduced if performed by dogs, overall costs may be lower, as dogs can be perform searches in larger areas without requiring more time (Silveira et al 2009;Vynne et al 2010). Arnett (2006) and Homan et al (2001) used dogs with low training costs and achieved nearly the same accuracy.…”

“…Olfaction allows canids to detect a target at large distances, since they are able to detect scent molecules at very low concentrations (Garner et al 2001). This physiological advantage allows for the design of new field methodologies that incorporate larger sample sizes and greater coverages (Rolland et al 2006;Silveira et al 2009;Vynne et al 2010). As a result, several scientists have already suggested the use of detection dogs to locate bird carcasses (Drewitt & Langston 2008;Homan et al 2001;Manville 2009 and references therein).…”