Chlamyphorus truncatus Skull Replica measures 3.6 in. Chlamyphorus truncatus Skull is museum quality polyurethane cast. 2-part skull (separate cranium and jaw). Made in USA. Known as Pink Fairy Armadillo.
Chlamyphorus truncatus is the smallest species of armadillo, mammals of the family Dasypodidae, mostly known for having a bony armor shell. It is approximately 3.5 to 4.5 inches long excluding the tail, and is pale rose or pink in color.
They are found in central Argentina where it inhabits dry grasslands and sandy plains with thorn bushes and cacti. They have the ability to bury itself completely in a matter of seconds if frightened.
Chlamyphorus truncatus is classified as a fossorial generalist insectivore. The main source of its food consists of ants and larvae it finds underground. While those are its primary sources of food, are also known to eat worms, snails, and various insects.
If these insects and invertebrates can’t be found plant leaves and roots make a good secondary dietary option for their underground lifestyle.
Chlamyphorus truncatus has fine hair on their underside that has been found to be beneficial for thermoregulation in an environment with highly variable temperatures.
Night temperatures in Argentinian plains can get very low, and since they are nocturnal it needs the fur to conserve heat while it is out hunting for food.
Chlamyphorus truncatus shell is soft and more flexible. Though the shell is close enough to the body for these blood vessels to be seen through the armor, this protective part of the animal is only attached via a thin membrane along the spinal column of the animal.
Chlamyphorus truncatus can curl up to protect the vulnerable soft underside, covered with dense white hair.
Their armored 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.
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.
Pink fairy armadillos are found less commonly than they were a few decades ago, and the field sightings have been rare and incidental.
