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 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.