Giant Armadillo

The giant armadillo--snapped by a camera trap in northeastern Peru on June 8, 2008--can weigh up to 71 pounds (32 kilograms). The beasts use their enormous front claws to dig into termite and ant colonies.

Easily hunted for their meat, the gentle giants are now scarcely seen throughout most of South America.

Seeing photographs of such rain forest animals is important, because the images can help "people to realize what's out there in a place where they'll likely never be able to go and see for themselves," the National Zoo's Kolowski said.
—Photograph courtesy Peruvian Amazon Biodiversity Project