WEBVTT - How Does the Pink Fairy Armadillo Work?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain Stuff, a production of iHeartRadio. Hey brain Stuff,

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<v Speaker 1>Lauren Vogelba I'm here picture a small mammal with fluffy

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<v Speaker 1>white fur, giant four paws made for digging, a short

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<v Speaker 1>pointed snout, and a shell of leathery pink armor that

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<v Speaker 1>runs in twenty four bands from the tip of its

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<v Speaker 1>nose down its back to its flattened behind. No, it's

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<v Speaker 1>not a creature from a Dungeons and Dragon's manual or

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<v Speaker 1>Narnia or Red Wall pick your nerd reference. This animal

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<v Speaker 1>is as real as you and me, and it's called

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<v Speaker 1>the pink fairy armadillo. Pink fairy armadillos are the smallest

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<v Speaker 1>of the twenty some species of armadillos in the world,

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<v Speaker 1>measuring from four to six inches in length that's just

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<v Speaker 1>ten to fifteen centimeters and weighing up to a quarter

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<v Speaker 1>of a pound about one hundred grams. And although it's

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<v Speaker 1>not mythical, it's proven pretty difficult to study. Pink fairy

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<v Speaker 1>armadillos live out most of their lives underground, and their

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<v Speaker 1>nocturnal making sightings in the wild so few and far

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<v Speaker 1>between that very little is actually known about these mysterious

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<v Speaker 1>little critters. Anecdotal evidence shows that people in their eighties

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<v Speaker 1>who have lived their entire lives near the pink fairries

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<v Speaker 1>only known habitat, may have only seen one once or twice,

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<v Speaker 1>if ever, in their lives, and one researcher who worked

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<v Speaker 1>for more than a dozen years and its habitat never

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<v Speaker 1>laid eyes on one at all. The first description and

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<v Speaker 1>illustration of this mystifying mammal was created in eighteen twenty

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<v Speaker 1>five by the American naturalist Richard Harlan, who worked in

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<v Speaker 1>the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia. He coined the

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<v Speaker 1>name pink fairy armadillo and gave it its species name

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<v Speaker 1>Calamiferous truncatus, truncatus, meaning sawed off, the perfect descriptor for

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<v Speaker 1>r we beaste, whose truncated tail and butt plate help

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<v Speaker 1>with balance and keep its subtranean tunnels from collapsing around it.

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<v Speaker 1>Those tunnels and its ability to dig them quickly are

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<v Speaker 1>critical for its survival, both allowing it to escape from

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<v Speaker 1>predators and in the hot sun. It's found only in

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<v Speaker 1>Central Argentina, in the arid desert of the Mendoza Province,

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<v Speaker 1>a large area of sun scorched scrubland that extends from

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<v Speaker 1>the foothills of the Andes to coastal Buenos Aires. Outside

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<v Speaker 1>of these dunes, sandy plains, and grasslands, this burrowing armadillo

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<v Speaker 1>does not fare well. It's likely a generalist insectivore that

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<v Speaker 1>eats mainly things like beetles, ants, insect eggs and larvae,

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<v Speaker 1>plus worms, snails, and plant materials such as leaves and

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<v Speaker 1>This tiny species shows no noticeable sign of sexual dimorphism,

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<v Speaker 1>meaning the males and females present the same physical appearance,

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<v Speaker 1>and we don't know much about its reproductive habits. It

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<v Speaker 1>may give birth to one or two offspring in spring

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<v Speaker 1>or early summer every year. The animal's armored shell and

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<v Speaker 1>its paws and tail are in shades of beautiful baby

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<v Speaker 1>pink to pastel salmon, contrasting with its silky white fur

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<v Speaker 1>and tiny black eyes. It cannot roll into a ball. However,

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<v Speaker 1>only two species of armadillos can do that, and how

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<v Speaker 1>they do is a question for another episode. The pink

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<v Speaker 1>fairy armadillo emerges from its underground layer only occasionally, usually

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<v Speaker 1>after a rare desert rain that drives it above ground.

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<v Speaker 1>So little is known about it that there's no information

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<v Speaker 1>available about its home range or population size and density.

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<v Speaker 1>Some researchers estimate that there are perhaps only about one

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<v Speaker 1>hundred still in existence, and that's pretty much all that's

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<v Speaker 1>known about these creatures. They're so evasive that scientists don't

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<v Speaker 1>even know if they are more common or as rare

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<v Speaker 1>as we think they are. The pink fairy armadillo was

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<v Speaker 1>originally listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature

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<v Speaker 1>as a near threatened species, but is now listed as

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<v Speaker 1>data deficient. However, we do know that its habitat is

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<v Speaker 1>currently threatened by encroaching civilization, including the building of roadways

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<v Speaker 1>and the ranching of cattle and goats that changes their

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<v Speaker 1>native environment in places where humans are moving in. Domestic

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<v Speaker 1>cats and dogs may threaten the species. They're also sought

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<v Speaker 1>after and sold on the black market as pets. Note

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<v Speaker 1>that as adorable as it is, this is a threatened

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<v Speaker 1>species that cannot survive as a pet. Removing a pink

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<v Speaker 1>fairy armadillo from its natural habitat will prove fatal to

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<v Speaker 1>this wondrous little animal, usually within about a week. If

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<v Speaker 1>you've never seen one before, do look up pictures and video,

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<v Speaker 1>but it's best to appreciate these fellows from Afar. Today's

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<v Speaker 1>episode is based on the article the pink Fairy Armadillo

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<v Speaker 1>is as mystifying as its name on howstufforks dot com,

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<v Speaker 1>written by Kerry Tatro. Brainstuff is production of iHeartRadio in

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<v Speaker 1>partnership with HowStuffWorks dot Com and as produced by Tyler Klang.

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<v Speaker 1>Four more podcasts from my heart Radio. Visit the iHeartRadio app,

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<v Speaker 1>Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.

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<v Speaker 1>Yes