Between 1972 and 1982, five giant armadillos (Priodontes maximus) resided for varying periods in an off-exhibit area at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago, Illinois. They included three males which came from Guyana and two females from Bolivia, all received as wild-caught young adults. Together they were the subjects of observations by animal care staff and volunteer docents, who made almost daily observations on the overall activity, food consumption, and general behavior of the giant armadillos. Zoo personnel also recorded weights and body measurements at regular intervals, as well as basic physiologic values such as body temperature and respiratory rates. The presence of Priodontes in the collection stimulated a number of communications, visits and inquiries from individuals and organizations interested in its natural history and behavior. Together with field excursions to giant armadillo habitat in the Chaco of Paraguay and northern Argentina (Meritt, 1973), these captive armadillos prompted the development of a detailed life history outline—one that summarized research questions related to this species, noted information not readily available or missing from the literature, and listed life history traits which are still unknown (Meritt, unpubl. ms.).