We detected the nighttime death of a radio-collared three-toed sloth (Bradypus variegatus) with an automated radio telemetry system in a Panamanian moist forest. Forensic evidence collected at the fresh carcass, including five pairs of zygodactyl puncture wounds, and the consumption of only soft tissue, suggests that the predator was a large owl, probably Pulsatrix perspicillata. Telemetry data, feces in the sloths' rectum, and old sloth feces at the base of the tree near the carcass suggest that the sloth was descending to the ground to defecate when it was killed. If correct, this is the first record of P. perspicillata killing such a large prey, highlighting the importance of crypsis, and not self-defense, as sloths' anti-predator strategy. This event also suggests there are high risks for sloths climbing to the ground to defecate, a puzzling behavior with no clear evolutionary advantage discovered yet.

The giant armadillo (Priodontes maximus) is the largest armadillo and is considered at risk of extinction by IUCN. Due to its fossorial and highly cryptic nature, it is also one of the least-studied mammals. The Cerrado grassland-savannahs of central South America comprises approximately 25 percent of the species' range, and the 1320 km² Emas National Park (ENP) is considered to be a stronghold area for the species in this biome. In this study, we employed a combination of radio-tagging, burrow surveys, camera-trapping, and scat detection dogs, to gain insights into the ecology of the giant armadillo in the Central Brazilian grasslands. Biometrics of five males and four females captured showed sexual dimorphism. Mean home range of five radio-tracked individuals was 10 km², and minimum density was estimated at 3.36 animals/100 km². The species showed a nocturnal activity pattern. Overall, it preferred open habitat. For burrows, soil or termite mounds were the preferred over ant mounds. No prior information exists regarding how many giant armadillos inhabit the park, or how they are using the surrounding area.

A total of 31 yellow armadillos, Euphractus sexcinctus, were captured in the Pantanal of Nhecolândia, Brazil, between October 2006 and October 2007. The individuals were anesthetized and measured. This study presents data about body mass, number of moveable bands, head length and width, head and body length, tail length and circumference, chest circumference, ear length and width, forefoot and hindfoot length, and penis length. Morphometric averages of yellow armadillos were compared with other values available in the scientific literature. The data provided in this study will be useful for further comparative studies.

A capture-recapture study was performed to obtain data on abundance of three armadillo species inhabiting a highly modified habitat—the Argentinean pampas—and the intrinsic factors affecting this parameter. A total of 144 live armadillos (42 Dasypus hybridus, 15 Chaetophractus villosus and 87 C. vellerosus) were caught and 49 dead animals (30 D. hybridus, 15 C. villosus and 4 C. vellerosus) were collected on four farms subjected to different degrees of land use. Armadillos were negatively affected by habitat use and hunting pressure. Densities varied between 0.07 and 0.6 armadillos per hectare, with higher densities occurring on farms farther away from urban settlements, with few domestic dogs, low hunting pressure, conservative land use, and well-preserved natural grasslands. The results suggest the existence of source-sink metapopulations.