The Pink Fairy armadillo (Chlamyphorus truncatus) or pichiciego is the smallest species of armadillo (mammals of the family Dasypodidae,[url=http://www.cheapjerseysshare.us@#$%&/]Cheap Jerseys From China[/url], recognized by a bony armour shell), first described by R. Harlan in 1825. This desert-adapted animal is endemic to central Argentina and can be found inhabiting sandy plains, dunes, and scrubby grasslands.Pink fairy armadillos have small eyes, silky yellowish white fur, and a flexible dorsal shell that is solely attached to its body by a thin dorsal membrane. In addition, its spatula-shaped tail protrudes from a vertical plate at the blunt rear of its shell. This creature exhibits nocturnal and solitary habits and has a diet that is mainly composed of insects,[url=http://www.wholesalesportsjerseys.us@#$%&/]Wholesale Authentic Jerseys[/url], worms, snails, and various plant parts.Unfortunately, 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. The decline in population for this species has generally been attributed to farming activities and predators including domestic dogs and cats.In 2006, the armadillo was placed in the near-threatened category on the IUCN Red List. In 2008 it was moved to the data deficient category due to the lack of scientific information on its population dynamics and natural history. Field sightings were confirmed to be rare and to become less common than before, even though pink fairy armadillo is already difficult to observe due to its nocturnal fossorial lifestyle.Pink fairy armadillos are found less commonly than they were a few decades ago, and the field sightings have been rare and incidental. Individuals that have been caught in the wild had a tendency to die during or a couple days after they were transported from their natural habitat to captive facilities. 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 proper scientific description and thus cannot be considered fully valid.Armadillos evolutionary distinctiveness, combined with their restricted geographic range, ongoing threats, and rarity makes the urgent conservation attention extremely important for these species.Pink fairy armadillos are classified as a subterranean armadillo that is extremely sensitive to environmental changes and stress. As an example,[url=http://www.cheapestnfljerseys.us@#$%&/]Cheap NFL Jerseys China[/url], sudden environmental changes that could affect pink fairy armadillos include temperature and soil quality. In order for them to survive and maintain stability, they must occupy undisturbed places that contain sufficient amounts of compact sand and hiding places. This also refers to possible captivity conditions for this animal due to its desert-adapted characteristics.Since this is classified as a fossorial generalist insectivore its main food consists of ants and larvae it finds underground, roots make a good secondary dietary option for their underground lifestyle. In captivity,[url=http://www.cheapjerseysauthenticonline.us@#$%&/]Cheap Jerseys NFL China[/url], this animal was observed to be willingly accepting of foods such as water melon and avocado shells with rests of flesh.The pink fairy armadillo is 90?115 mm (3.5-4.5 in) long, and typically weighs about 120 g (4.2 oz). This species is the smallest living armadillo (Dasypode), and is among the least known.Armadillos are well known for leathery shells covering the majority of its dorsal side. The pink fairy armadillo has this characteristic as well, but its shell is much softer and more flexible. Though the shell is close enough to the body for these blood vessels to be seen through the armor,[url=http://www.salecheapjerseys.us@#$%&/]NFL Jerseys China Wholesale[/url], this protective part of the animal is only attached via a thin membrane along the spinal column of the animal. The Pink Fairy Armadillo can curl up to protect the vulnerable soft underside, covered with dense white hair.The armoured shell consists of 24 bands that allow the animal to curl up in a ball, and the armor is flattened in the posterior portion of the animal so that it can compress dirt behind it as it is digging. This compression strategy is thought to help prevent tunnel collapses.Since the underlying blood vessels are so close to the surface, the animal can control the amount of surface area exposed to the environment in order to gain or lose heat. Also, like most armadillos,[url=http://www.wholesalenfljerseyssale.us@#$%&/]Wholesale Jerseys[/url], they rely mostly on a sense of smell to find each other and their prey.The armadillo has two massive sets of claws on its front and hind limbs help it to dig the burrows in compacted soil very quickly. The pink fairy armadillo is nicknamed the “sand-swimmer” because it is said that it can “burrow through the ground as fast as a fish can swim in the sea.” These claws are very big, relatively, to the size of this animal, which makes it difficult for it to walk on a hard surface.Along with these unique traits, the pink fairy armadillo has greatly reduced eyes and relies highly on touch and hearing to coordinate. It also has a torpedo-shaped body in order to reduce the amount of drag it may encounter while working in underground tunnels and a thick, hairless tail that it uses for balance and stability while using its other limbs to dig.(Source: Wikipedia ? The Free Online Encyclopedia)