Pichi
Zaedyus pichiy (Desmarest, 1804)
The pichi (Zaedyus pichiy) is a species in the family Chlamyphoridae, order Cingulata. Recorded adults weigh 977 g to 1.5 kg and live up to 9 years. Its IUCN Red List status is Near Threatened.
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Quick facts about the pichi
- Weight
- 977 g – 1.5 kgsrc for Weight
- Length
- Not recorded
- Lifespan
- 9 yearssrc for Lifespan
- Diet
- Invertivoresrc for Diet
- Longest recorded lifespan
- 12.5 years
- Main food
- beetle, lizard, mammal, scorpionsrc for Main food
- Habitat
- Not recorded
- Gestation
- 58 days – 60.9 dayssrc for Gestation
- Young per litter or clutch
- 1 – 2src for Young per litter or clutch
- Age at maturity
- 10.5 monthssrc for Age at maturity
- Active
- Day and night (cathemeral)src for Active
- Lifestyle
- Terrestrialsrc for Lifestyle
- Conservation status
- Near Threatened (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
Where does the pichi live?
Not recorded
What is the pichi?
The pichi (Zaedyus pichiy), dwarf armadillo or pygmy armadillo is an armadillo native to Argentina and Chile. It is the only living member of the genus Zaedyus, and the only armadillo to hibernate. Fossil remains from the Cerro Azul Formation indicate this species had already evolved during the late Miocene epoch.
From the Wikipedia article “Pichi” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pichi&oldid=1382152403), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
Is the pichi endangered?
The pichi is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List: it is close to qualifying as threatened.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Near Threatened species.
How is the pichi classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classMammalia
- orderCingulata
- familyChlamyphoridae
- genusZaedyus
- SpeciesZaedyus pichiy (Desmarest, 1804)
Synonyms Loricatus pichiy
Other names and names in other languages (20)
- Dwarf armadilloEnglish
- Dwarf armadilloEnglish
- Pygmy armadilloEnglish
- مدرع قزمArabic
- مدرع بيشيArabic
- DværgbæltedyrDanish
- ZwerggürteltierGerman
- PicheSpanish
- Piche PatagónicoSpanish
- pikkuvyötiäinenFinnish
- Tatou velu de PatagonieFrench
- ピチアルマジロJapanese
- 피치아르마딜로Korean
- DvergbeltedyrNorwegian Bokmål
- DwerggordeldierDutch
- Pancernik małyPolish
- Puklerzyk różowyPolish
- Карликовый броненосецRussian
- PiçiTurkish
- Cüce Küt ArmadilloTurkish
Relatives of the pichi
Other species in the same genus Zaedyus.
ComparePichi vs Zaedyus pichuy
Common questions
Answered only where our data holds the answer.
How big is the pichi?
An adult pichi weighs 977 g – 1.5 kg, according to values recorded on Wikidata.
Is the pichi endangered?
The pichi is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is close to qualifying as threatened.
What does the pichi eat?
Its recorded main food is beetle, lizard, mammal and scorpion.
How long does the pichi live?
The pichi has a recorded lifespan of 9 years.
How long is the pichi pregnant?
The recorded gestation period is 58 days – 60.9 days.
What kind of animal is the pichi?
The pichi (Zaedyus pichiy) belongs to the family Chlamyphoridae in the order Cingulata.
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles · CC0 1.0 · E096-269
Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1 - Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - EltonTraits 1.0: species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals · CC0 1.0 · 1.0
Wilman, H., Belmaker, J., Simpson, J., de la Rosa, C., Rivadeneira, M.M. & Jetz, W. (2014) EltonTraits 1.0: Species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals. Ecology 95: 2027. https://doi.org/10.1890/13-1917.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1 - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Pichi (Zaedyus pichiy). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/pichi
“Pichi (Zaedyus pichiy).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/pichi.
@misc{pichi_2026,
title = {Pichi (Zaedyus pichiy)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/pichi},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}