2. Northern Long-nosed Armadillo Dasypus sabanicola French: Tatou des savanes / German: Savannen-Glrteltier / Spanish: Mulita de Los Llanos Other common names: Llanos Long-nosed Armadillo Taxonomy. Dasypus sabanicola Mondolfi, 1968, “Hato Macanillal, Distrito Achaguas del Estado Apure,” Venezuela. A recent analysis of genomic data by M. C. Arteaga and colleagues, yet to be pub- lished, has called into question whether or not D. sabanicola should be combined with one of the subspecies of D. novemcinetus to form a single species. No final decision about this has been made, and a new name has not been proposed. Monotypic. Distribution. Llanos of Colombia and Venezuela. Descriptive notes. Head-body ¢.250-310 mm, tail 170-210 mm, ear 22-29 mm, hindfoot 60-70 mm; weight 1-2 kg. The Northern Long-nosed Armadillo was initially recognized as a separate species because it is much smaller in size than either of the other two long-nosed armadillos, the Greater Long-nosed Armadillo (D. kappleri) and the Nine-banded Armadillo (D. novemcinctus), known to occur in Venezuela. Normally, there are eight movable bands on the carapace of the Northern Long-nosed Armadillo. Ears are short relative to skull length, but tail is long relative to head—body length. Habitat. Low-lying floodplains, commonly known as the Llanos, at elevations of 25— 500 m. Northern Long-nosed Armadillos will move to higher ground during the annual flooding season. Food and Feeding. Diet of the Northern Long-nosed Armadillo contains worms and insects (primarily ants, termites, and beetles). Breeding. Reproduction of the Northern Long-nosed Armadillo is reported to occur from October through March. Implantation of the fertilized egg is delayed by 2-4 months. Pregnant females have been collected during spring; gestation is thought to start in April or May and lasts until August or September. Litters have four young. Activity patterns. Northern Long-nosed Armadillos are diurnal. Most activity aboveground is foraging, which occurs from c.08:00 h to 10:30 h in the ...