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44-522: It is located in the east of the Santa Cruz Department of Bolivia. At 2,918,500 hectares, it spans the provinces of Ángel Sandoval , Germán Busch , Chiquitos and Velasco , in the municipalities of San Matías , Puerto Suárez , Puerto Quijarro , San José de Chiquitos and San Rafael . It borders Brazil to the east. It is the second largest protected area in Bolivia. During the installation of

88-627: A gas pipeline through the ANMI, a large trove of Pre-Columbian artefacts were found, dating from the years 1000 to 1500. There are rock paintings near Laguna Gaiba, to the north of the road from El Carmen to Puerto Suarez, and to the north of the area of Navidad y Las Petas. The indigenous people of this area are the Ayoreo and Chiquitano . The area was first protected under Supreme Decree 24124 on 21 September 1995 as Area de Inmovilización-Reserva Biológica San Matías (a Santa Cruz Department designation), with

132-449: A 54 kg (119 lb) specimen has been weighed in the wild and captive specimens have been weighed up to 80 kg (180 lb). The typical length of the species is 75–100 cm (30–39 in), with the tail adding another 50 cm (20 in). Giant armadillos are found throughout much of northern South America east of the Andes , except for eastern Brazil and Paraguay . In

176-435: A gestational period of about five months. Evidence points to only giving birth once every three years . Little is known with certainty about their life history, although it is thought that the young are weaned by about seven to eight months of age, and that the mother periodically seals up the entrance to burrows containing younger offspring, presumably to protect them from predators. Although they have never bred in captivity,

220-440: A protective ball. Compared with those of other armadillos, their burrows are unusually large, with entrances averaging 43 cm (17 in) wide, and typically opening to the west. Giant armadillos use their large front claws to dig for prey and rip open termite mounds. The diet is mainly composed of termites, although ants , worms , spiders , other invertebrates , small vertebrates and carrion are also eaten. Little

264-453: A shortage of the fuel after a lack of investment reduced output. The processing plants would be built in Santa Cruz and each would produce about 200 tons of liquefied petroleum gas a day. The plants would help turn a deficit of gas into a “surplus”. In July 2004, the people voted in a nationwide referendum to allow for regulated exportation of the gas. The department also hosts El Mutún ,

308-473: A sickle-shaped third claw up to 22 cm (8.7 in) in length, which are proportionately the largest of any living mammal. The tail is covered in small rounded scales and does not have the heavy bony scutes that cover the upper body and top of the head. The animal is almost entirely hairless, with just a few beige colored hairs protruding between the scutes. Giant armadillos typically weigh around 18.7–32.5 kg (41–72 lb) when fully grown, however

352-538: A size of 900,000 ha. On 31 July 1997 Supreme Decree 24734 renamed, reorganised and enlarged the Natural Area, growing it to its modern girth. During the massive wildfires across Bolivia in 2021, this ANMI was the most impacted of all protected areas; 697,929 hectares had burned by 2021. 916,486 hectares burned in the San Matías Municipality. Sixteen main (natural) floral associations have been identified in

396-454: A wild-born giant armadillo at San Antonio Zoo was estimated to have been around sixteen years old when it died. Hunted throughout its range, a single giant armadillo supplies a great deal of meat, and is the primary source of protein for some indigenous peoples. In addition, live giant armadillos are frequently captured for trade on the black market, and invariably die during transportation or in captivity. Despite this species' wide range, it

440-426: Is a village in the east of the ANMI, Santo Corazón , where tourists can meet Ayoreo and Chiquitano people. 17°34′S 58°45′W  /  17.567°S 58.750°W  / -17.567; -58.750 Santa Cruz Department (Bolivia) Santa Cruz ( Spanish pronunciation: [ˌsanta ˈkɾus] ) is the largest of the nine constituent departments of Bolivia , occupying about one-third (33.74%) of

484-477: Is considered vulnerable to extinction. The giant armadillo prefers termites and some ants as prey, and often consumes the entire population of a termite mound. It also has been known to prey upon worms, larvae and larger creatures, such as spiders and snakes, and plants. Some giant armadillos have been reported to have eaten bees by digging into beehives . The giant armadillo is the largest living species of armadillo, with 11 to 13 hinged bands protecting

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528-545: Is currently known about this species' reproductive biology, and no juveniles have ever been discovered in the field. The average sleep time of a captive giant armadillo is said to be 18.1 hours. Armadillos have not been extensively studied in the wild; therefore, little is known about their natural ecology and behavior. In the only long-term study on the species, that started in 2003 in the Peruvian Amazon, dozens of other species of mammals, reptiles and birds were found using

572-428: Is increasing rapidly in the Santa Cruz area, where weather allows for two crops a year. In recent years, the discovery of natural gas in the department has led to plans for the development of a regional natural gas industry that is likely to boost the local economy. Bolivia's energy minister said two proposed liquefied petroleum gas plants may allow the country to boost supplies to Brazil and Argentina by 2010, easing

616-739: Is listed under Appendix I (threatened with extinction) of the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna . The giant armadillo is protected by law in Colombia , Guyana , Brazil , Argentina , Paraguay , Suriname and Peru , and commercial international trade is banned by its listing on Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). However, hunting for food and sale in

660-473: Is locally rare. This is further exacerbated by habitat loss resulting from deforestation. Current estimates indicate the giant armadillo may have undergone a worrying population decline of 30 to 50 percent over the past three decades. Without intervention, this trend is likely to continue. The giant armadillo was classified as vulnerable on the World Conservation Union 's Red List in 2002, and

704-558: Is one of the Bolivian departments with the least indigenous population, and the one with the greatest mestizo and Creole identity. The first settlers of Santa Cruz were mainly Spaniards that accompanied Ñuflo de Chávez, as well as Guarani , and some Flemings , Portuguese , Germans and Italians working for the Spanish crown. Among the first settlers there were also Sephardic Jews recently converted to Christianity who were persecuted by

748-403: Is said to be a scenic route. There are daily flights from Santa Cruz to Puerto Suárez, and there are three much closer villages with airstrips for small planes in the area: Rincón del Tigre , Santo Corazón and San Fernando. There is also a train which departs daily from Santa Cruz to Puerto Quijarro, passing through San José de Chiquitos, Robore, El Carmen Rivero Torrez and Puerto Suárez. There

792-401: Is the city of Santa Cruz de la Sierra . The department is one of the wealthiest departments in Bolivia, with huge reserves of natural gas. Besides, it has experienced the highest increase of economic growth during the last 50 years in Bolivia and South America. According to the current Constitution , the highest authority in the department lies with the governor . The former figure of prefect

836-436: Is warm and tropical most of the year. Winters are short and last only 2–3 months but can get very cold very suddenly. "Surazos" (southerly winds that blow in from Argentina) can drop the temperature by as much as 30 degrees overnight. This extreme cold lasts only a few days at a time and the beautiful, sub-tropical Santa Cruz is pleasant throughout most of the year. Here the climate varies by geographical zone: temperate to cold in

880-583: The Inquisition in Spain. Santa Cruz has a multicultural population: 57% are Mestizos with both Indigenous Amazonian and European ascendants, 30% are Natives ( Chiquitano , Chane , Ayoreo , as well as Quechua and Aymara internal migrants from other departments.) and 13% are Whites of European descent , of whom about a quarter are so-called "Russian" Mennonites (see Mennonites in Bolivia ) of German tradition, language and descent. At 416 meters above sea level, it

924-411: The pejichi or giant armadillo ( Priodontes maximus ) and the tatú armadillo Dasypus novemcinctus . There are eight species present which are included in the 2009 Libro Rojo de la Fauna Silvestre de Bolivia . Two are endangered , the bat Lonchorhina aurita and the giant otter, and the other six are considered vulnerable : marsh deer, pampas deer, jaguar, tapir, maned wolf, giant armadillo and

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968-486: The ANMI San Matías is harvested for its hides according to a sustainable culling program, in collaboration with WWF Bolivia, claimed to be the first of its type in Bolivia. The animals are often hunted by locals for use in traditional cuisine. The large catfish Zungaro jahu occurs here. 128 fish species were registered in the ANMI as of 2018. There were 155 properties in the park when the first management plan for

1012-425: The ANMI. There are also anthropogenic habitats and open water. The paraba azul ( Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus , the hyacinthine macaw) is considered an emblematic symbol of the region. Most of the Bolivian population of this large parrot is thought to be found in this Natural Area, although they likely range northward. They can most often be seen in the cattle ranches in the ANMI. There is an annual macaw festival in

1056-412: The area was complied, the majority were cattle ranches, with an estimated 100,000 head of cattle in the ANMI. There are nine forestry concessions within the park, one is in the centre. Approximately 6,000 people reside within the ANMI, of which the majority are under 15. These live in 17 communities, and the majority are of Ayoreo and Chiquitano ethnicity. There are numerous towns of a few thousand people in

1100-403: The armadillo Tolypeutes matacus ( tatú bola ). Typical reptiles found here are the yacaré or caiman Caiman yacare , the tortoises Geochelone carbonaria and G. denticulata , the sicurí (anaconda) Eunectes notaeus , Boa constrictor and the rattlesnake Crotalus durissus . 42 amphibian and 49 reptile species were registered in the ANMI as of 2018. The yacaré population in

1144-580: The black market continues to occur throughout its entire range. Some populations occur in protected reserves, including the Parque das Emas in Brazil, and the Central Suriname Nature Reserve , a massive 1.6-million-hectare site of pristine rainforest managed by Conservation International . Such protection helps to some degree to mitigate the threat of habitat loss , but targeted conservation action

1188-454: The body and a further three or four on the neck. Its body is dark brown in color, with a lighter, yellowish band running along the sides, and a pale, yellow-white head. These armadillos have around 80 to 100 teeth, which is more than any other terrestrial mammal . The teeth are all similar in appearance, being reduced premolars and molars, grow constantly throughout life, and lack enamel . They also possess extremely long front claws, including

1232-402: The buffer zone around the ANMI. The director is Marcel Caballero, a biologist, as of 2018. The dry season (June to November) is the best time for tourism, as the land is not flooded and the roads stable. It can be reached from Santa Cruz by road, air or boat. The road runs through the towns of San José de Chiquitos, Roboré , El Carmen and Puerto Suárez. The road from Roboré to San Matías

1276-448: The country's territory. With an area of 370,621 km (143,098 sq mi), it is slightly smaller than Japan or the US state of Montana . It is located in the eastern part of the country, sharing borders in the north and east with Brazil and with Paraguay in the south. In the 2024 census, it reported a population of 3,115,386 , making it the most populated department. The capital

1320-513: The eagle Buteogallus urubitinga . 310 species of bird were registered in the ANMI as of 2018. The reserve has been designated an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International because it supports significant populations of many bird species. Typical mammals of the ANMI San Matías are the giant otter Pteronura brasiliensis , marsh deer or ciervo de los pantanos ( Blastocerus dichotomus ), pampas deer ( Ozotoceros bezoarticus ), manechi or black howler monkey ( Alouatta caraya ) and

1364-599: The flat Llanos Chiquitanos areas and beyond these the Serranías Chiquitanas ranges. In the far east the departments have small parts of the huge Pantanal wetland. The rivers of Santa Cruz are part of any of two basins: the Amazon Basin (north) and the Plate Basin (south). The main rivers in the northern basin are river Iténez , making the border with Brazil, Río Grande , river Piraí and river Itonomas . In

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1408-544: The giant armadillos' burrows on the same day, including the rare short-eared dog ( Atelocynus microtis ). Because of this, the species is considered a habitat engineer, and the local extinction of Priodontes may have cascading effects in the mammalian community by impoverishing fossorial habitat. Additionally, the giant armadillo was once key to controlling leaf cutter populations which could destroy crops, but they can also damage crops themselves when digging through soil. Female giant armadillos have two teats and have

1452-506: The later stages of the Chaco war between Paraguay and Bolivia, as the Paraguayan army approached Santa Cruz department, local nationalists backed by a Paraguay-based independence movement sought to create a separate independent state in Santa Cruz department. A referendum on autonomy was held in Santa Cruz department in 2008 . Eastern departments in Bolivia, including Santa Cruz, have majority of

1496-410: The natural gas reserves. Bolivian president Evo Morales was planning to introduce legislation to tackle the poverty in the country using tax revenues from richer departments like Santa Cruz. Additionally, Morales's attempts to change the constitution were opposed by the opposition governors who run five of Bolivia's nine regions. 85.6 percent voted in favour of autonomy. The Bolivian government considered

1540-466: The peccaries pecarí ( Tayassu pecari ) and taitetú ( T. tajacu ). Other of 90 species which have been reported as present are tigres or jaguars ( Panthera onca ), ocelot ( Leopardus pardalis ), the maned wolf or borochi ( Chrysocyon brachyurus ), tapir ( Tapirus terrestris ), huaso ( Mazama americana ) and urina ( M. gouazoubira ) deer, jochi calucha or agouti ( Dasyprocta punctata ), jochi pintado or paca ( Cuniculus paca ),

1584-578: The previous Departmental Council (Consejo Departamental). It is a state legislature with limited legislation powers, being able to make laws in certain subjects in exclusivity and in some others in concurrence with the state legislative branch. The department covers a vast expanse of territory in eastern Bolivia, much of it rainforests , extending from the Andes to the border with Brazil . The department's economy depends largely on agriculture , with sugar , cotton , soybeans and rice being grown. The amount of land cultivated by modern farming techniques

1628-561: The referendum illegal. 18°25′05″S 62°20′42″W  /  18.418°S 62.345°W  / -18.418; -62.345 Priodontes maximus The giant armadillo ( Priodontes maximus ), colloquially tatu-canastra , tatou , ocarro or tatú carreta , is the largest living species of armadillo (although their extinct relatives, the glyptodonts , were much larger). It lives in South America, ranging throughout as far south as northern Argentina . This species

1672-479: The south, they reach the northernmost provinces of Argentina , including Salta , Formosa , Chaco , and Santiago del Estero . There are no recognised geographic subspecies. They primarily inhabit open habitats, with cerrado grasslands covering about 25% of their range, but they can also be found in lowland forests. Giant armadillos are solitary and nocturnal , spending the day in burrows. They also burrow to escape predators, being unable to completely roll into

1716-578: The southern basin, the main rivers are river Paraguay and its tributaries, including river Negro . The main lakes are lake Mandioré , Uberaba, lake La Gaiba , Laguna de Marfil , Concepción and lake San Jorge . The rivers by length within Santa Cruz: 8 out of 48 km of the Paraguay not part of the Brazilian border. The main lakes by their area within the department: The department of Santa Cruz

1760-463: The total world reserves of iron ore: 800 billion tons of crude ore containing more than 230 billion tons of iron. Santa Cruz Department is the largest of the Bolivian departments and covers a wide and diverse area. In the west lies a series of temperate Sub-Andean ranges and valleys while to the north and south lies two different lowlands areas; the Beni and Chaco lowlands respectively. To the northeast lies

1804-429: The village of San Fernando on 6 August. The population is likely increasing, as the range is expanding and there are more sightings. Besides the hyacinthine macaw, other birds found here are the piyo ( Rhea americana ), the stork Jabiru mycteria , a curassow called pava mutún ( Mitu tuberosa ), Paroaria coronata (a cardinal), Chloroceryle amazona (a kingfisher), the harpy eagle ( Harpia harpyja ) and

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1848-399: The western sierras and warm to hot and humid as one descends into the extensive plains. The department of Santa Cruz regularly experiences devastating forest fires, often started by landowners who want to burn forests to create new agricultural land. This practice puts a great strain on the rich biodiversity of the country. The Department of Santa Cruz is divided into 15 provinces. During

1892-846: The world's second largest iron ore reserve (after Carajás in Brazil) and largest magnesium deposits are also located there. Located in the Germán Busch Province in the Santa Cruz Department of Bolivia, near Puerto Suárez, El Mutún extends across the border into Brazil, where it is called the Serrania de Jacadigo. Also known as the "Serrania Mutún", it has an area of about 75 square kilometers. Its estimated reserves are about 40.205 billion tons of iron ore of 50% iron, mainly in hematite and magnetite form, and in lesser quantities in siderite and manganese minerals. This can be compared with an estimate of

1936-510: Was appointed by the President of the Republic till 2005, when the prefect for the first time was elected by popular vote to serve for a five-year term. In 2010 the first governor was elected according to the implementation of autonomy after a struggle for almost a decade by the people of Santa Cruz. Santa Cruz also has a Departmental Assembly (Asamblea Departamental), which derives but differs from

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