Brazilian three-banded armadillo. Engraving created in 1700s for renowned work on mammals by German naturalist, Johann Christian Daniel von Schreber, the multi-volume 'Die Saugthiere in Abbildungen nach der Natur mit Beschreibungen' ('The Mammals in Accordance with Illustrations of Nature with Descriptions'), published from 1775 to 1792. Collectively, the mammals featured by Schreber in this work have come to be known as 'Schreber's Fantastic Beasts'. The engraving was later coloured by hand.
Hand-coloured antique engraving. It depicts a Brazilian three-banded armadillo and was created by an unknown artist for a renowned work on mammals by the German naturalist, Johann Christian Daniel von Schreber (1739-1810). The word 'armadillo' means 'little armoured one' in Spanish and refers to the bony plates that cover the back, head, legs and tail. They are the only living mammals with such shells. They have strong curved claws, simple peg-like teeth, a pointy or shovel-shaped snout and small eyes. The three-, six-, and nine-banded armadillos are named for the number of movable bands in their armour. The Brazilian three-banded armadillo is a species, tolypeutes tricinctus, endemic to Brazil, where it is known as tatu-bola. It is about to inches (22 to 27cm) long. Johan Christian Daniel Von Schreber (often styled von Schreber) studied in Germany and Sweden and worked as a medical doctor before beginning his most famous work, his multi-volume 'Die Saugthiere in Abbildungen nach der Natur mit Beschreibungen' ('The Mammals in Accordance with Illustrations of Nature with Descriptions'), published from 1775 to 1792. It was illustrated by about 800 plates of the different mammals. The hand coloured engraving of a Brazilian three-banded armadillo was Plate (71A) in a Schreber volume printed c. 1785. Many of the animals were being given scientific names for the first time, according to the binomial system pioneered by Swedish zoologist Carl Linnaeus. It is likely that none of the artists responsible had actually seen any of the exotic animals they drew, relying instead on descriptions from explorers. Not surprisingly, many of the pictures are quite a long way from zoological reality. Collectively, they have come to be known as 'Schreber's Fantastic Beasts'.
Size: 15535px × 10356px
Location: In natural habitat
Photo credit: © Terence Kerr / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
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