How Does the Pink Fairy Armadillo Work?

The pink fairy armadillo looks like a fantasy illustration and is so elusive that it's practically mythical. Learn what we know (and don't know) about them in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://animals.howstuffworks.com/mammals/pink-fairy-armadillo.htm

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
Welcome to brain Stuff, a production of iHeartRadio. Hey brain Stuff,
Lauren Vogelba I'm here picture a small mammal with fluffy
white fur, giant four paws made for digging, a short
pointed snout, and a shell of leathery pink armor that
runs in twenty four bands from the tip of its
nose down its back to its flattened behind. No, it's

(00:27):
not a creature from a Dungeons and Dragon's manual or
Narnia or Red Wall pick your nerd reference. This animal
is as real as you and me, and it's called
the pink fairy armadillo. Pink fairy armadillos are the smallest
of the twenty some species of armadillos in the world,
measuring from four to six inches in length that's just
ten to fifteen centimeters and weighing up to a quarter

(00:49):
of a pound about one hundred grams. And although it's
not mythical, it's proven pretty difficult to study. Pink fairy
armadillos live out most of their lives underground, and their
nocturnal making sightings in the wild so few and far
between that very little is actually known about these mysterious
little critters. Anecdotal evidence shows that people in their eighties

(01:11):
who have lived their entire lives near the pink fairries
only known habitat, may have only seen one once or twice,
if ever, in their lives, and one researcher who worked
for more than a dozen years and its habitat never
laid eyes on one at all. The first description and
illustration of this mystifying mammal was created in eighteen twenty
five by the American naturalist Richard Harlan, who worked in

(01:33):
the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia. He coined the
name pink fairy armadillo and gave it its species name
Calamiferous truncatus, truncatus, meaning sawed off, the perfect descriptor for
r we beaste, whose truncated tail and butt plate help
with balance and keep its subtranean tunnels from collapsing around it.
Those tunnels and its ability to dig them quickly are

(01:56):
critical for its survival, both allowing it to escape from
predators and in the hot sun. It's found only in
Central Argentina, in the arid desert of the Mendoza Province,
a large area of sun scorched scrubland that extends from
the foothills of the Andes to coastal Buenos Aires. Outside
of these dunes, sandy plains, and grasslands, this burrowing armadillo

(02:19):
does not fare well. It's likely a generalist insectivore that
eats mainly things like beetles, ants, insect eggs and larvae,
plus worms, snails, and plant materials such as leaves and
This tiny species shows no noticeable sign of sexual dimorphism,
meaning the males and females present the same physical appearance,
and we don't know much about its reproductive habits. It

(02:41):
may give birth to one or two offspring in spring
or early summer every year. The animal's armored shell and
its paws and tail are in shades of beautiful baby
pink to pastel salmon, contrasting with its silky white fur
and tiny black eyes. It cannot roll into a ball. However,
only two species of armadillos can do that, and how

(03:03):
they do is a question for another episode. The pink
fairy armadillo emerges from its underground layer only occasionally, usually
after a rare desert rain that drives it above ground.
So little is known about it that there's no information
available about its home range or population size and density.
Some researchers estimate that there are perhaps only about one
hundred still in existence, and that's pretty much all that's

(03:27):
known about these creatures. They're so evasive that scientists don't
even know if they are more common or as rare
as we think they are. The pink fairy armadillo was
originally listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature
as a near threatened species, but is now listed as
data deficient. However, we do know that its habitat is

(03:48):
currently threatened by encroaching civilization, including the building of roadways
and the ranching of cattle and goats that changes their
native environment in places where humans are moving in. Domestic
cats and dogs may threaten the species. They're also sought
after and sold on the black market as pets. Note
that as adorable as it is, this is a threatened

(04:09):
species that cannot survive as a pet. Removing a pink
fairy armadillo from its natural habitat will prove fatal to
this wondrous little animal, usually within about a week. If
you've never seen one before, do look up pictures and video,
but it's best to appreciate these fellows from Afar. Today's

(04:29):
episode is based on the article the pink Fairy Armadillo
is as mystifying as its name on howstufforks dot com,
written by Kerry Tatro. Brainstuff is production of iHeartRadio in
partnership with HowStuffWorks dot Com and as produced by Tyler Klang.
Four more podcasts from my heart Radio. Visit the iHeartRadio app,
Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.

(05:00):
Yes