This Tiny Pink Underground Oddball Is Very Real
Meet the pink fairy armadillo — Chlamyphorus truncatus — the smallest armadillo species on Earth and, frankly, one of nature’s more unbelievable little creations.
Native only to central Argentina, this tiny burrowing mammal generally measures around 11 to 15 centimeters long and weighs roughly 100 grams. Translation: it is about the size of something you could hold in one hand, although this is very much a look-don’t-touch situation.
That rosy shell is not simply there to make the animal look like a tiny armored strawberry. Its carapace is unusually thin and flexible, with blood vessels close to the surface helping give it that pink coloring. Beneath it sits surprisingly fluffy white fur, which helps the animal retain heat.
The pink fairy armadillo spends most of its life underground in the dry, sandy soils of Argentina. Its oversized front claws are built for digging, and it can disappear beneath loose earth astonishingly fast. Ants and other small invertebrates make up much of its diet.
And yes, the “fairy” part feels appropriate. These creatures are so elusive that even scientists working in their habitat can go years without seeing one. Their almost entirely subterranean life has left researchers with plenty still to learn about their behavior and population.
So no, somebody did not Photoshop a mole, a tiny armadillo and a scoop of strawberry ice cream together. The pink fairy armadillo is real, ridiculously small and living its best secretive life beneath Argentina.
Watch the Pink Fairy Armadillo in Action
INYIM’s clip gives a closer look at the tiny Argentine mammal and its unmistakable pale pink armor.
Sources: Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History; IUCN SSC Anteater, Sloth and Armadillo Specialist Group; Argentina National Parks.
