know that, if it's a wild armadillo, you might get Hansen's disease (formerly known as leprosy) from your expression of appreciation.
Photo credit: http://www.birdphotos.com
Apparently Europeans gave this lovely condition TO the armadillos years and years ago (I'd like to know how that happened) and it seems the armadillos can give back.
I, personally, think they're adorable, and was super psyched to see them when I was in Texas.
But now I know, that in addition to the fact that my advances would most likely NOT be appreciated, and armadillos have wicked claws for digging (look closely at that photo!) and fending off crazed fans, I could also get a very rare disease.
Odds are low, of course.
Like, so low I could probably run around embracing every armadillo I can find and probably never get it.
But, you know...
And, checking out Wiki's page on armadillos, I see this creature...
Photo credit to cliff
I saw that and thought: Yeah. Right. As IF this is a real animal.
It's name is "pink fairy armadillo."
Of course, it is.
I'm no fool.
That's OBviously some fuzzy pet cruelly clothed in a pink I'm-really-a-planet-Klingon-native-species outfit.
Or, more likely, photo-shopped.
Then I see the picture is FROM one of my favorite sites, Animal Diversity Web, based at U of Michigan. Hm. I consider that site pretty reliable...
And the Wiki entry for it lists Wilson and Reeder's Mammal Species of the World on www.bucknell.edu, and here's that entry. And it's on the IUCN red list, so I guess it's real.
Also, looking at additional photos, the one above looks like it's on display in a museum, so at the very least is taxidermied. That can make the most ordinary creatures look odd.
They are small, only 3.5 - 4.5 " long, endemic to Argentina, and MAY be at risk but SO very little is KNOWN about them, they cannot say for sure.
IUCN says "It is present in a number of protected areas including Lihué Calel National Park in La Pampa (9,905 ha), and some provincial protected areas in Mendoza. There is national and provincial legislation specifically in place for its protection, such as Provincial Law 6599 Mendoza. Further studies into the population status, demography and ecology of this species are needed." [emphasis added]
SO, if you are looking for something to study for your Ph.D., you might do worse than look into these little guys, and by shedding light on their pink, sometimes subterranean lives, you might help them persist on this planet.
They are CUTE and something this unusual and stylistically innovative is too precious to lose.
And I bet they are great huggers.
xobb
