Road crossings can be treacherous and the tiny creatures are often hit by vehicles, or possibly even picked up by curious humans eager to claim them as a unique pet. Wet fur can make that difficult, so the animals sometimes surface on rainy days.Īnd for the pichiciego, ground level is not a good place to be. It’s believed that their pinkish back-blanket acts like a radiator, allowing blood to be pumped in and out of it to raise or lower core body temperature. It's likely that temperature regulation comes into play here. Although the Argentinian scrublands receive little rain, when storms do arrive, they're usually intense, soaking the armadillos' burrows and forcing them to surface. It’s also possible that wet weather coaxed the animal out. Nagiri image © pink fairy armadillo image © Pat McGrath “The most probable explanation is that the encountered a hard substrate through which they couldn’t dig, emerged to cross the obstacle, and were seen by someone.”Ī comparative analysis of a pink fairy armadillo and a piece of salmon nigiri indicate that they may be the same thing.
So what’s up with the preoccupied armadillo seen in Escudero’s video? Superina has a possible explanation: “The majority of reported sightings we’ve received are from animals that were trying to cross a road or track, or appeared in the middle of a village,” she told Wired. According to a piece published in Wired last year, she’s been researching armadillos in the pink fairy’s habitat for 13 years and "has never once seen one in the wild". Take conservation biologist Mariella Superina of Argentina’s National Scientific and Technical Research Council, for example. In fact, these animals spend almost their entire lives underground – they're so rarely seen that we don't even know how many might be out there.īut surely there are dedicated biologists scouring the desert for pichiciegos, we hear you say. The smallest of the armadillo species, the pichiciego (as it is also known) has impressive claws on its front and hind limbs which it uses to burrow through the earth, hunting invertebrates and munching on plant matter. Uploaded last year by YouTuber Willy Escudero, a clip from the video recently popped up in gif form on Reddit, and understandably the internet took a liking to this remarkable little sand-sausage.įilmed in the scrubby grasslands of Mendoza, Argentina, the video shows a pink fairy armadillo doing what pink fairy armadillos do best: digging.
Happily, the video uploader claims in the comments that the animal was not taken from its natural habitat. “Ridiculously adorable children, but more importantly, what a beautiful and affirming dad,” someone added.Note: Poking an armadillo with a stick is a no-no. Such a small moment that has a big impact,” a TikToker replied.
CUTE ARMADILLO FULL
“I love how Dad backed away from the desk his kids have his full attention. “If ALL children were able to receive this kind of love, so many of the world’s problems would be solved,” another commented. “The way they’re comfortable and safe enough to ask for attention from their parents,” a person said. All the love they operate in every day … WINNER!!” a user wrote. “These babies are gonna have such high self-esteem. The cute video racked up 2.9 million views on TikTok. “He loves her hair, and this was the first time he’s seen her with barrettes in it, so he was too excited about them!” the mom added in the comments, and in the caption, “Literally the CUTEST thing to witness !!!” “Oh, you got your hair too? It’s all silky! OK, boy, I see you,” the dad told him.īoth of the kids jumped up and down in excitement over their father’s affections. But it was only a matter of time before the big brother wanted some love for her soft curls.
0 kommentar(er)
