The Excelsior Zoo

We are excited to introduce Tatu, a Brazilian three banded armadillo [ Tolypeutes tricinctus ] that joined our collection this weekend. Tatu is the Portuguese word for Armadillo, which is the official language of Brazil 🇧🇷

The Brazilian three banded armadillo is one of just two armadillo species that can curl themselves into a nearly impenetrable ball. The other capable species being their close cousin, the southern three banded armadillo. This defense mechanism protects the armadillo(s) from the majority of predators in South America. The jaguar is one of the only animals capable of penetrating the armadillos bony armored plates, scientifically known as osteoderms

The Brazilian three banded armadillo is unfortunately threatened in the wild, and has faced a population decline that exceeds 30% in the last decade. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) currently regards the wild population as vulnerable, and declining. The species biggest threats to this unique mammal are habitat loss, and illegal poaching.

To the best of our knowledge The Excelsior Zoo is one just a small number of stateside private collections housing Brazilian three banded armadillos. The majority of three banded armadillos in private collections are the southern species.
We look forward to one day contributing to the captive conservation of the Brazilian three banded armadillo! 😄

Introducing Waverly, one of our Derby’s wooly opossums, [ Caluromys derbianus ], which are also referred to as the Central American wooly opossum. This species is the largest of the wooly opossums in the genus Caluromys

This species of opossum inhabits tropical forests in Central America, ranging from southern Mexico to western Ecuador and Colombia. like most opossums, the Derby’s wooly opossum is nocturnal, meaning that it is most active at night ( the latter being diurnal - most active during the day ). They feed primarily on fruit, nectar, and small invertebrates. There is little known about their longevity, but as with most opossums, they are believed to be short lived. The longest recorded lifespan in managed care was five years

Introducing Dharma, our beautiful screaming hairy armadillo [ Chaetophractus vellerosus ] female.

The screaming hairy armadillo gets it’s name from its ability to emit a high pitched scream when threatened.