Cingulata is an order of armored placental mammals. Members of this order are called cingulates, or colloquially, armadillos. They are primarily found in South America, though the northern naked-tailed armadillo is found mainly in Central America and the nine-banded armadillo has a range extending into North America. They are generally found in forests, but also savannas, shrublands, and grasslands. They all follow a similar body plan, and range in size from the pink fairy armadillo, at 11 cm (4 in) plus a 2 cm (1 in) tail, to the giant armadillo, at 100 cm (39 in) plus a 50 cm (20 in) tail. No population estimates have been made for any cingulate species, though the giant armadillo and the Brazilian three-banded armadillo are categorized as vulnerable species.

The twenty-two extant species of Cingulata are divided into two families: Dasypodidae, containing a single genus of nine species in the subfamily Dasypodinae, and Chlamyphoridae, containing thirteen species split between the two genera in the subfamily Chlamyphorinae, three in the subfamily Euphractinae, and three in the subfamily Tolypeutinae. Prior to 2016, all four subfamilies were included in Dasypodidae, with Chlamyphoridae containing only extinct species of glyptodonts. Over one hundred extinct Cingulata species have been discovered, though due to ongoing research and discoveries the exact number and categorization is not fixed.

Conventions

IUCN Red List categories

Conservation status
EX	Extinct (0 species)
EW	Extinct in the wild (0 species)
CR	Critically Endangered (0 species)
EN	Endangered (0 species)
VU	Vulnerable (2 species)
NT	Near threatened (5 species)
LC	Least concern (8 species)
Other categories
DD	Data deficient (5 species)
NE	Not evaluated (2 species)

Conservation status codes listed follow the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. Range maps are provided wherever possible; if a range map is not available, a description of the cingulate's range is provided. Ranges are based on the IUCN Red List for that species unless otherwise noted. All extinct species or subspecies listed alongside extant species went extinct after 1500 CE, and are indicated by a dagger symbol "†".

Classification

The order Cingulata consists of two families, Dasypodidae and Chlamyphoridae. Dasypodidae contains nine species in a single genus, while Chlamyphoridae contains thirteen species in eight genera, divided into three subfamilies. Many of these species are further subdivided into subspecies. This does not include hybrid species or extinct prehistoric species.

Cingulates

The following classification is based on the taxonomy described by the reference work Mammal Species of the World (2005), with augmentation by generally accepted proposals made since using molecular phylogenetic analysis.

Dasypodidae

Subfamily Dasypodinae

Genus Dasypus – Linnaeus, 1758 – nine species

Common name	Scientific name and subspecies	Range	Size and ecology	IUCN status and estimated population
East Amazonian long-nosed armadillo	D. beniensis Lönnberg, 1942	North-central South America	Size: 51–58 cm (20–23 in) long, plus 33–48 cm (13–19 in) tail Habitat: Forest Diet: Insects	NE  Unknown
Greater long-nosed armadillo	D. kappleri Krauss, 1862	Northeastern South America	Size: 51–58 cm (20–23 in) long, plus 33–48 cm (13–19 in) tail Habitat: Forest Diet: Insects	LC  Unknown
Hairy long-nosed armadillo	D. pilosus (Fitzinger, 1856)	Western South America	Size: 32–44 cm (13–17 in) long, plus 23–31 cm (9–12 in) tail Habitat: Forest Diet: Insects	NE  Unknown
Llanos long-nosed armadillo	D. sabanicola Mondolfi, 1968	Northern South America	Size: 25–31 cm (10–12 in) long, plus 17–21 cm (7–8 in) tail Habitat: Forest Diet: Termites, as well as ants, beetles, and worms	NT  Unknown
Nine-banded armadillo	D. novemcinctus Linnaeus, 1758 Six subspecies D. n. aequatorialis D. n. fenestratus D. n. hoplites D. n. mexianae D. n. mexicanus D. n. novemcinctus	Central and northern South America, and central, southern, and eastern North America	Size: 35–57 cm (14–22 in) long, plus 24–45 cm (9–18 in) tail Habitat: Forest, savanna, shrubland, and grassland Diet: Omnivorous, including invertebrates, birds, fruit, and roots	LC  Unknown
Seven-banded armadillo	D. septemcinctus Linnaeus, 1758	Eastern South America	Size: 24–31 cm (9–12 in) long, plus 12–17 cm (5–7 in) tail Habitat: Forest, savanna, and grassland Diet: Insects, seeds, and other plant material	LC  Unknown
Southern long-nosed armadillo	D. hybridus Desmarest, 1804	Southeastern South America	Size: 26–31 cm (10–12 in) long, plus 15–19 cm (6–7 in) tail Habitat: Forest, savanna, shrubland, and grassland Diet: Ants, termites, and beetles, as well as plant material and small vertebrates	NT  Unknown
West Amazonian long-nosed armadillo	D. pastasae (Thomas, 1901)	Northwestern South America	Size: 51–58 cm (20–23 in) long, plus 33–48 cm (13–19 in) tail Habitat: Forest Diet: Insects	DD  Unknown
Yepes's mulita	D. mazzai Yepes, 1933	South-central South America	Size: About 31 cm (12 in) long, plus 18–23 cm (7–9 in) tail Habitat: Forest Diet: Believed to be omnivorous with a preference for insects	DD  Unknown

Chlamyphoridae

Subfamily Chlamyphorinae

Genus Calyptophractus – Fitzinger, 1871 – one species

Common name	Scientific name and subspecies	Range	Size and ecology	IUCN status and estimated population
Greater fairy armadillo	C. retusus (Burmeister, 1863)	Central South America	Size: 14–18 cm (6–7 in) long, plus 4 cm (2 in) tail Habitat: Savanna, shrubland, and desert Diet: Insects, worms, snails, roots, and small seeds	DD  Unknown

Genus Chlamyphorus – Harlan, 1825 – one species

Common name	Scientific name and subspecies	Range	Size and ecology	IUCN status and estimated population
Pink fairy armadillo	C. truncatus Harlan, 1825	Southern South America	Size: 11–15 cm (4–6 in) long, plus 2–3 cm (1–1 in)tail Habitat: Savanna, shrubland, grassland, and desert Diet: insects, worms and snails, as well as possibly plants	DD  Unknown

Subfamily Euphractinae

Genus Chaetophractus – Fitzinger, 1871 – two species

Common name	Scientific name and subspecies	Range	Size and ecology	IUCN status and estimated population
Big hairy armadillo	C. villosus (Desmarest, 1804)	Southern South America	Size: 22–40 cm (9–16 in) long, plus 9–17 cm (4–7 in) tail Habitat: Forest, savanna, shrubland, grassland, and desert Diet: Omnivorous, including insects, invertebrates, small vertebrates, plants, and carrion	LC  Unknown
Screaming hairy armadillo	C. vellerosus (Gray, 1865) Two subspecies C. v. pannosus C. v. vellerosus	Southern South America	Size: 20–30 cm (8–12 in) long, plus tail Habitat: Savanna, shrubland, grassland, and desert Diet: Beetles, butterfly larvae, plants, and small vertebrates	LC  Unknown

Genus Euphractus – Wagler, 1830 – one species

Common name	Scientific name and subspecies	Range	Size and ecology	IUCN status and estimated population
Six-banded armadillo	E. sexcinctus (Linnaeus, 1758) Five subspecies E. s. boliviae E. s. flavimanus E. s. setosus E. s. sexcinctus E. s. tucumanus	Central and eastern South America	Size: 40–50 cm (16–20 in) long, plus 20–25 cm (8–10 in) tail Habitat: Forest, savanna, shrubland, and grassland Diet: Carrion, small vertebrates, insects, spiders, bird eggs, and plants	LC  Unknown

Genus Zaedyus – Ameghino, 1889 – one species

Common name	Scientific name and subspecies	Range	Size and ecology	IUCN status and estimated population
Pichi	Z. pichiy (Desmarest, 1804) Two subspecies Z. p. caurinus Z. p. pichiy	Southern South America	Size: 26–34 cm (10–13 in) long, plus 10–12 cm (4–5 in) tail Habitat: Shrubland, grassland, and desert Diet: Insects, worms, and other invertebrates, as well as carrion	NT  Unknown

Subfamily Tolypeutinae

Genus Cabassous – McMurtrie, 1831 – four species

Common name	Scientific name and subspecies	Range	Size and ecology	IUCN status and estimated population
Chacoan naked-tailed armadillo	C. chacoensis Wetzel, 1980	South-central South America	Size: 30–35 cm (12–14 in) long, plus 9–10 cm (4–4 in) tail Habitat: Forest, savanna, and shrubland Diet: Ants and termites, as well as seeds and fruit	NT  Unknown
Greater naked-tailed armadillo	C. tatouay (Desmarest, 1804)	Eastern South America	Size: 36–49 cm (14–19 in) long, plus 15–20 cm (6–8 in) tail Habitat: Forest and grassland Diet: Ants and termites	LC  Unknown
Northern naked-tailed armadillo	C. centralis (Miller, 1899)	Northern South America and Central America	Size: 30–40 cm (12–16 in) long, plus 5–7 cm (2–3 in) tail Habitat: Forest, savanna, and shrubland Diet: Termites and ants	DD  Unknown
Southern naked-tailed armadillo	C. unicinctus (Linnaeus, 1758) Two subspecies C. u. squamicaudis C. u. unicinctus	Northern and central South America	Size: 35–44 cm (14–17 in) long, plus 16–20 cm (6–8 in) tail Habitat: Forest, shrubland, and grassland Diet: Ants and termites	LC  Unknown

Genus Priodontes – F. Cuvier, 1825 – one species

Common name	Scientific name and subspecies	Range	Size and ecology	IUCN status and estimated population
Giant armadillo	P. maximus (Kerr, 1792)	Northern and central South America	Size: 75–100 cm (30–39 in) long, plus 50 cm (20 in) tail Habitat: Forest, savanna, and grassland Diet: Termites and certain ant species	VU  Unknown

Genus Tolypeutes – Illiger, 1811 – two species

Common name	Scientific name and subspecies	Range	Size and ecology	IUCN status and estimated population
Brazilian three-banded armadillo	T. tricinctus (Linnaeus, 1758)	Eastern South America	Size: 23–25 cm (9–10 in) long, plus tail Habitat: Savanna and shrubland Diet: Ants, termites, beetles, and other insects, as well as plants	VU  Unknown
Southern three-banded armadillo	T. matacus (Desmarest, 1804)	South-central South America	Size: 20–25 cm (8–10 in) long, plus tail Habitat: Savanna and shrubland Diet: Insects, as well as fruit and seeds	NT  Unknown