Is there any good way to exhibit an armadillo other than as education animals?

[DavidBrown]

I thought that I was familiar with armadillos, but recently found that like Jon Snow, I know nothing (well, slightly more than nothing). I thought that there were 5 or 6 species and was surprised to learn that there are 21 species. I also, somehow, am just learning of the pink fairy armadillo - an enchanting creature that is a terrific counterpoint to the relatively hulking giant armadillo.

So I was thinking about armadillos in zoos which is where most of us here encounter them, unless you live in southeastern North America or further south and you encounter wild ones.

Most of the armadillos that I see in zoos are used as education animals. I've seen one close up at the San Diego Safari Park.

Some zoos have them running around with other species, but usually they are hiding and asleep during zoo hours. Are there any zoos that have really good armadillo exhibits where visitors have a good chance of seeing them active? Would that need to be a nocturnal exhibit? Are there any armadillo nocturnal exhibit.

What is the armadillo-iest zoo out there? Do any zoos have more than one armadillo species?

 

[elefante]

Omaha has at least one (I don't know which species) in their Kingdoms of the Night exhibit. It ran around like a wind up toy.

 

[aardvark250]

I think the zoo with most armadillo species will be in south america.

On the bright side, a new armadillo complex has been built, housing six-banded, large hairy, a three-banded armadillo and a GIANT armadillo.

This is from devilfish review of Santa Cruz zoo in bolivia

 

[Zoovolunteer]

At Bristol they have Yellow Armadillo Euphractus sexcinctus in a mixed exhibit with Linne's Two-Toed Sloth and Black and Gold Howler Monkeys. This species is actually fairly active during the day, at least from midday onwards, so they do not need a nocturnal house to display them.

 

[jayjds2]

It seems to be hit-or-miss with both exhibiting them and seeing them. At the National Zoo, where there are two species in three exhibits, I usually see the three-banded armadillos awake and the screaming hairy armadillos asleep. However, that situation has been the reverse a couple of times and there were times where I saw neither. I feel that giant armadillo would be the easiest to exhibit, but I really know nothing about them so that's just my assumption. I have yet to see an armadillo exhibit that seems to be really good, only average and bad.

 

[Azamat Shackleford]

Lincoln Park Zoo has a La Plata Three-banded armadillo on-exhibit in their small mammal/reptile house, viewing is a bit difficult though due to lack of light and it being part nocturnal house

 

[Hvedekorn]

Six-banded armadillos are usually fairly visible and often active in my experience (as Zoovolunteer also mentioned). In the armadillo-keeping zoo I most often go to, Randers Regnskov, there was practically a guarantee of seeing them when they had their own separate exhibit, but I've missed them the last couple of times when they moved in with the coatis.

You mention that most zoos you've seen kept them with other species, so maybe armadillos are more visitor-friendly when not being housed in mixed exhibits? They're certainly weird and unique enough that they can attract attention on their own and don't need to be stuffed in the back of a mixed exhibit. (At least here in Europe - I don't know if they're seen as particularly interesting in the parts of the U.S. where you often see them as roadkill)

 

[Zoovolunteer]

i can see why Six-banded would become more nocturnal when sharing with coatis - a troop would be quite formidable to meet in daylight. At Bristol they have the floor to themselves so they have less need to worry.

 

[carlos55]

In Mexico i have seen very active nine banded armadillos at nocturnal houses at zoomat -chiapas and tlaxcala zoos.Some years ago I rescued an armadillo that was going to be cooked in a village. I released him in the forest. The animal was quite docile and very easy to handle.

 

[Devi]

Amazon World Zoo has 4 species in a nocturnal house, all were pretty active. My local zoo has one in a nocturnal house too and I don't think these are the only examples.

 

[MRJ]

In my youth (long ago, I am sad to say) Melbourne Zoo had a pair of armadillos which they kept in a fairly small and plain outside yard. One thing I made sure I did whenever visiting the zoo (which I did 3 or 4 times a year) was to go to their enclosure, where I was invariably able to lean over the barrier and give them a scratch behind the neck. They always seemed to be active, and I am sure with a little money and imagination could have been an excellent exhibit. Sorry no idea which species and of course they (and their enclosure) are long gone.

 

[animalszoos]

London Zoo has armadillos in the Indoor Rainforest. It shares its enclosure with some primate species (tamarins and titi monkeys) a tamandua, birds (I remember sun bitterns and a trumpeter) and sloths.

 

[FunkyGibbon]

Either the tamanduas or the armadillos have been removed from that mix. One of the tamanduas died when it collapsed an armadillo burrow.

 

[birdsandbats]

The Brookfield Zoo has Tiny Screaming Hairy Armadillos in the Hamill Family Play Zoo. The Milwaukee County Zoo has armadillos in the nocturnal side of the small mammals building, and the Minnesota Zoo has them in a mixed species exhibit with Golden Lion Tamarins.

 

[pachyderm pro]

Brookfield also has 6 banded armadillo's with a prehensile tailed porcupine. Plenty of room but not enough digging space.

 

[JigerofLemuria]

I've seen two instances of three-banded armadillos being kept with new world monkeys; they were kept with a species of Night Monkey in Faunia (Madrid), in the nocturnal house, and in the Prague Zoo they were kept with Spix's moustached tamarins in a diurnal interior enclosure adjacent to the indoor gorilla quarters.

 

[TinoPup]

Bronx has Screaming Hairy Armadillo in their mouse house.

Smithsonian National Zoo has several exhibits in their small mammal house with them, often mixed with sloths. They're usually very busy when I'm there, especially the La Platas (pictured).

Omaha has Southern Three-banded, Screaming Hairy, and Nine-banded in an exhibit together in the Kingdoms of the Night.

 

[SivatheriumGuy]

I remember seeing two armadillo species in Beauval, in the first greenhouse of the park, the one with the rhinoceros hornbills and sloths.