![]() This narrow range contains a unique and crucial habitat for the pink fairy armadillo. They have been found south of Mendoza province as well as north of Rio Negro and south of Buenos Aires. ![]() ![]() Pink fairy armadillos are nocturnal burrowing mammals endemic to the xeric environment in central Argentina. However, there is an opinion that the antiquity and uniqueness of pink fairy armadillos would be best accounted for by retaining the subfamily Chlamyphorinae. įairy armadillos are currently classified within the subfamily Euphractinae according to the reference taxonomy by A.L. Later, the separation of the fairy armadillo subfamily from their tolypeutine sister-group was estimated to have occurred 32 ± 3 Mya. The Chlamyphorinae subfamily was found to show phylogenetic affinities with the clade Tolypeutinae, which became a significant step to define the previously completely unknown phylogenetic position of this armadillo subfamily within Cingulata. As a result of the research conducted in 2009, the idea of respective monophyly of the three previously identified subfamilies Dasypodinae, Euphractinae, and Tolypeutinae (which separated from each other shortly after the Eocene-Oligocene transition) was supported. īoth species are rare in the field and are fairly elusive, thus phylogenetic affinities of fairy armadillos have been tested only once. The split between these two species was estimated to have occurred around 17 ± 3 Mya, around the transition between Early and Middle Miocene. The similarities can be explained either by the presence of a shared common ancestry, which would prove the monophyly of both species, or by the result of adaptive convergence due to extreme selective pressures induced by their lifestyle (which would suggest the diphyletic origin). īoth species have allopatric distributions both are strictly nocturnal but the details of their ecology and population biology remain unknown. Both species are specialized to subterranean lifestyle which was developed in their ancestral lineage sometime between 32 and 17 Mya. These two species are morphologically similar: both have notably reduced eyes and reinforced forearms that support enlarged digging claws.They are also one of few mammals that do not have external ears visible. This genus includes only two living species of fairy armadillo: Chlamyphorus truncatus (pink fairy armadillo) and Chlamyphorus retusus (chacoan or greater fairy armadillo). ![]() 4.1 Thermoregulation and external shellĪt present, fairy armadillos have the least molecular data available within the armadillo family.Īrmadillos' evolutionary distinctiveness, combined with their restricted geographic range, ongoing threats, and rarity, make conservation extremely urgent for these species. There is a sole record for the longevity of a pink fairy armadillo that was held in captivity more than four years however, that particular case lacks scientific description. Individuals caught in the wild had a tendency to die during or a couple days after transport from their natural habitat to captive facilities. Pink fairy armadillos are found less commonly than they were a few decades ago, and the field sightings have been rare and incidental. The decline in population for this species has generally been attributed to farming activities and predators including domestic dogs and cats. The conservation status for pink fairy armadillo is still uncertain, and it is listed as Data Deficient by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. This creature exhibits nocturnal and solitary habits and has a diet that is mainly composed of insects, worms, snails, and various plant parts. In addition, its spatula-shaped tail protrudes from a vertical plate at the blunt rear of its shell. Pink fairy armadillos have small eyes, silky yellowish white fur, and a flexible dorsal shell that is attached to its body solely by a thin dorsal membrane. This solitary, desert-adapted animal is endemic to central Argentina and can be found inhabiting sandy plains, dunes, and scrubby grasslands. The pink fairy armadillo ( Chlamyphorus truncatus) or pichiciego is the smallest species of armadillo (mammals of the families Chlamyphoridae and Dasypodidae, recognized by a bony armor shell), first described by Richard Harlan in 1825.
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