Ecology of The Giant Armadillo in The Cerrado Mineiro, In the Southeast Region of Brazil

Abstract

Objective: Identify and georeference burrows, qualify the soil and predominant vegetation where the giant armadillo lives, in the Cerrado of Triângulo Mineiro.   Method/design/approach: The study was carried out on nine properties in the municipality of Uberaba, MG and one in Uberlândia, MG, covering a total area of 240.8 km2. Burrows with more than 1.0 m deep were adopted as a standard, all of which were georeferenced, for the construction of maps, measurement of areas, definition of phytophysiognomies, determination of distance traveled and spatial distribution of the animal in the region. To record the presence of the animal, 9 photographic cameras were installed in the area, at a height of 0.40 m. Soil samples were collected in 20 locations for chemical analysis at depths of 0-0.20, 0.20-0.40 and 0.40-0.60 m, with 4 replications. A descriptive analysis of the data was carried out using Agroestat Software.   Result and conclusion: The 81 burrows were georeferenced, 41 of them in the Vale Encantado - Private Natural Heritage Reserve (VE-PNHR), where there was a 51% increase in the total number of burrows, with the majority in the Cerrado stricto sensu (41%) and Cerradão (23 %); The animal has a strictly nocturnal habit, with around 96% of activity between 8 pm and 6 am; The animal prefers acidic soils, with low fertility and sandy texture, as these are the places where they find the most food; Around 97% of burrows were recorded at altitudes above 800 meters.   Research implications: In 70% of the areas where the animal's presence was recorded, it has a total area of less than 10 km2, indicating that the animal can survive in areas smaller than those already described in the literature. The fact that 75% of the burrows recorded in the study are considered ancient remains, and the species may no longer inhabit some of the areas studied, confirms the existence of a low density of the species in these evaluated areas of the Minas Gerais cerrado.   Originality/value: The Giant armadillo is one of the large animals in the Brazilian cerrado and is classified as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Knowing the importance of the species for the biodiversity of the cerrado, it is expected that the results generated in this study can help in the formulation of public policies to preserve the species.