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The Pink Fairy Armadillo
By Lydia Lukidis
Here’s a riddle for you: which
animal is tiny, with a pink shell and fluffy
white fur underneath? You may have a
hard time guessing this one! This animal is
not so common. It is also a little strange.
Actually, you may have never even heard
of it. It’s a pink fairy armadillo!
So what makes this little critter so
unique? First of all, it has a funny name
and it’s the color pink. It also has a really
long tail that acts like a fifth leg. A pink fairy armadillo's tail makes the animal more stable
while it digs. Its shell is also special because it acts like a heater. The shell pumps blood in
and out of it. That way, the animal can raise or lower its body temperature. That’s pretty
cool! In fact, the reason the armadillo's shell is pink is from all the blood going in and out.
Usually, an armadillo's shell is attached to its body. However, a pink fairy armadillo's
shell is not fully attached to its body. Instead, the shell is connected to a membrane that
runs along the spine.
The pink fairy armadillo is the smallest kind of armadillo. This armadillo's entire body is
only about 5 inches long, and it weighs less than a pound. Even though it is so small, a pink
fairy armadillo has gigantic claws. In fact, its claws are so big, it has trouble walking on hard
surfaces like rock. These claws help the armadillo dig into the earth for food. This animal
can dig very quickly. If it feels threatened, it will bury itself in the earth in just a few seconds.
As for food, the pink fairy armadillo loves to chomp on ants. That is its favorite meal. It
also eats worms and other creepy crawlers. Sometimes it will even eat plants and roots.
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Photo by: Mariella Superina