Looking more closely suited to the world of Mad Max or perhaps a refuge from The Island of Doctor Moreau, the pink fairy armadillo is truly a strange creature to behold. It's the odd combination of features that make it so riveting to look at. You could easily envision it scurrying around Thunderdome or away from some demented scientist bent on hybridizing the most unlikely of animals.
Pink Fairy Armadillo
Also known as a pichiciego, the pint-sized pink fairy armadillo is the smallest species in the armadillo family, weighing less than a pound (4.2 oz on average) and being no more than 3.5-4.5 inches in length. Well adapted for desert life, it is found in central Argentina commonly inhabiting sandy plains, dunes, and dry, scrubby grasslands.
Armadillo Shells
It's shell is what makes it so unique — that and the fact it rests on a body covered in silky fur somewhat resembling a guinea pig with enormous feet made for digging — because it is the only armadillo with a shell almost completely detached from its body, held on only by a thin dorsal membrane. It looks like a piece of warriors' armor draped over its back as if it's ready to lay siege or maybe protection from flaming arrows.
Pink Fairy Characteristics
The docile creatures have small eyes and yellowish white fur that's silky to the touch. They are also characterized by their funny spatula-shaped tail which protrudes from a low vertical plate at the back of the shell. Nocturnal and solitary by nature, their diet mainly consists of insects, snails, worms and plant parts, and the females generally have only one offspring during pregnancy.
Burrowing Animals
The huge over-sized flipper diggers they come equipped with are for burrowing, as you may have guessed, because they like to dig in next door to large ant colonies — a favorite food of theirs — when choosing real estate. Shy, they spend most of their time underground, similar to that of a mole, only coming out to dine at night.
Now that you know a little bit more about them, what do you think of the pink fairy armadillo? Tell us in the comment section below.
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