![]() Females may be induced ovulators, and give birth to one or two young after a gestation period of 58 to 60 days, typically between October and January. The breeding season lasts from spring to early summer, with the exact months depending on latitude. In addition to true hibernation, they also enter a period of daily torpor, lasting up to four hours each night, during which they body temperature can drop to as low as 24 ☌ (75 ☏). During hibernation, their body temperature drops from its normal value of about 35 ☌ (95 ☏) to just 14 ☌ (57 ☏). Like many hibernating animals, they build up considerable fat reserves before entering their winter burrows, where they remain from May to August. Pichis are the only armadillos known to hibernate. ![]() Common predators include crowned eagles, buzzard-eagles, foxes, and cougars. Despite living in arid environments, they are not thought to drink water in the wild. Pichis are omnivorous, with the largest part of their diet consisting of invertebrates such as beetles, ants, and scorpions, though they will also eat small mammals or lizards, as well as plant material and fungi. Within this region, it most commonly inhabits arid or semiarid steppe grasslands, but may be found in other environments if they have sandy soils suitable for burrowing. Pichis are found from central and southern Argentina ( Patagonia), west to the Andean grasslands of Chile, and south to the Strait of Magellan. Pichi in the grass at Torres del Paine national park Distribution and habitat The male's penis is unusually long among mammals, being about 60% of the total body length. Females have two teats, located in the chest region, and, like most armadillos, lack a true vagina, instead having a single urogenital sinus about 18 mm (0.71 in) in length. The absence of teeth on the premaxillary bone of the upper jaw is one of the features that allows them to be distinguished from other, similar, armadillos, such as the six-banded armadillo. Pichis have eight teeth on each side of the upper jaw, and nine on the lower. ![]() The ears are short, and the eyes dark and relatively small. Pichis have well-developed claws on all four feet. The underside of the animal has a coat of tan-coloured hair, which is thicker and longer in winter there are also a few long hairs protruding through small holes near the posterior edge of some of the scales. An additional "nuchal" band lies in front of the scapular shield, and there is also a triangular shield on top of the head, and further osteoderms along the tail. The carapace varies from light yellow to near-black, and consists of heavy scapular and pelvic shields composed of rectangular osteoderms, and separated by six to eight movable bands. Adults weigh anything from 700 to 1,500 grams (25 to 53 oz), and males may be slightly larger than females. Pichis are relatively small armadillos, measuring approximately 27 cm (11 in) long, with a tail of about 11 cm (4.3 in). ![]()
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