I probably should have waited until "P" to feature on this adorable critter, using for armadillo the more traditional 9-banded species - but who can rest a face like that? Who can resist something so completely obscure and so pink!
You may not have heard of the Pink Fairy Armadillo, or pichiciego as it is also known. That's okay, for I had not either until I stumbled upon it whilst researching obscure creatures. She is the smallest armadillo species and measures only as much as 115 mm. Nocturnal, and spends much of her time buried in the sand of arid grasslands in central Argentina. Her burrow is normally made near ant or termite nests, providing her with ample food supplies. She is torpedo shaped, with a shield on her forehead to protect her in her underground manouveres. Her front talons are likewise broad and flat, and she uses these to agitate the sand, swimming through it.
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