Species Use Database

Nine-banded armadillo
Dasypus novemcinctus

Used for Food and feed in Amazonas

A. Species

Scientific name: Dasypus novemcinctus

Common name(s): Nine-banded armadillo

Global IUCN Red List Threat Status: Least Concern


B. Location of use

Geographic location(s):

  • Amazonas

Country/Region: Brazil / Amazon


C. Scale of assessment

Scale of assessment: Sub-national / Sub-region / Sub-State

Name/Details of location: Two rural communities, São Jorg and Corpus Christi, near the city of Belterra in western Para´ state


D. Timescale of use

Start Year: 2016

End Year: 2016


E. Information about the use

How is the wild species sourced?: Wild species sourced from its natural habitat

Type of use: Extractive

Practice of use: Hunting and/or Trapping of live terrestrial and aerial animals

Lethal or non-lethal: Lethal

Does this use involve take/extraction of: The whole entire organism

Purpose(s) of end use: Food and feed

Motivation of use: Basic subsistence and Traditional/Cultural/Spiritual

Is this use legal or illegal?: Legal under national law


F. Information about the Users

Which stakeholder(s) does the record primarily focus on?: Local people


G. Information about the sustainability of use

Is there evidence that the use is having an impact on the target species?: Wild species sourced from its natural habitat

Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from an ecological perspective been recorded?: No, sustainability not determined

Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from an economic perspective been recorded?: No, sustainability not determined

Details of assessment carried out: This study

Brief summary on why the use has been assessed/judged to be sustainable or unsustainable: Not the subject looked at in this study

Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from a social perspective been recorded?: No, sustainability not determined

Details of assessment carried out: This study

Brief summary on why the use has been assessed/judged to be sustainable or unsustainable: Not the subject looked at in this study.

Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from a human health perspective been recorded?: Yes, considered unsustainable

Details of assessment carried out: This study

Brief summary on why the use has been assessed/judged to be sustainable or unsustainable: This study focused on whether sylvan leprosy exists in wild armadillos in this area and whether activities related to hunting, killing, preparing or handling the armadillo meat for consumption, as well as the frequency of armadillo in the diet had any effect on humans catching leprosy, or on antibody (anti-PGL-I titer) levels among those people involved.

Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from an animal health/welfare perspective been recorded?: not recorded

Details of assessment carried out: This study

Brief summary on why the use has been assessed/judged to be sustainable or unsustainable: Not recorded


Recommendations provided in the record to maintain or enhance the sustainability of the use of the target species

Interruption of infection by zoonotic transmission (armadillo-to-human) needs to be addressed by the World Health Organization, although this may prove challenging. Nevertheless, determining the extent of infection in these wild animals and applying whole genome sequencing t identify strain types circulating in armadillos and human populations interacting with them is important to clarify the relative risk that nonhuman reservoirs have in the transmission of this(and perhaps other) tropical diseases and may help to improve strategies to combat leprosy.


Record source

Information about the record source: scientific_pub

Date of publication/issue/production: 2018-01-01T00:00:00+0000

Source Reference(s):

da Silva, M.B., Portela, J.M., Li, W., Jackson, M., Gonzalez-Juarrero, M., Hidalgo, A.S., Belisle, J.T., Bouth, R.C., Gobbo, A.R., Barreto, J.G. and Minervino, A.H., 2018. Evidence of zoonotic leprosy in Pará, Brazilian Amazon, and risks associated with human contact or consumption of armadillos. PLoS neglected tropical diseases, 12(6), p.e0006532.
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0006532

Date of record entry: 2022-11-23