"Do pink fairy armadillos exist?"

April 25, 2023 8:12 AM

How the Enchanting, Elusive Pink Fairy Armadillo Became One Scientist’s Obsession
posted by brundlefly (21 comments total)

Nice try but this is a shrimp nigiri shaped pokemon called like, Sushadil or something that accidentally teleported into our world
posted by theodolite at 8:25 AM on April 25, 2023 [21 favorites]

So smol, such cute
posted by Kitteh at 8:47 AM on April 25, 2023 [2 favorites]

'Oh, my darling Armadillo,
Let me tell you of my love,
Listen to my Armadillo roundelay;
Be my fellow on my pillow,
Underneath this weeping willow,
Be my darling Armadillo all the day.'
. . .
And I seemed to hear it still, Oh,
Vive L'amore, vive l'Armadillo,
'Be my darling Armadillo all the day.'

- Flanders and Swann, The Armadillo
posted by The Bellman at 9:04 AM on April 25, 2023 [8 favorites]

I love that this looks exactly like animals/monsters as depicted in old illuminated manuscripts. (Atlas de Historia Natural de Felipe II (Pomar codex). Origin: Spain, XVIth c. Biblioteca Histórica de la Universitat de València.)
posted by Fizz at 9:08 AM on April 25, 2023 [3 favorites]

Half pig, half trilobite, all cute.
posted by uberfunk at 9:33 AM on April 25, 2023 [4 favorites]

I wish I had an armored butt plate.
posted by GenjiandProust at 9:37 AM on April 25, 2023 [7 favorites]

A naked mole-armadillo, apparitionally.
posted by jamjam at 9:56 AM on April 25, 2023 [1 favorite]

I don't like armadillos. They burrow in our backyard. I don't want my dog to have contact with them or their... leavings. Can a dog contract leprosy from an armadillo? People can.

Anyway. I don't usually like armadillos. But that one is so cute!
posted by Splunge at 11:25 AM on April 25, 2023 [1 favorite]

Armadillos should not be blamed for having or spreading leprosy, since they got it from Europeans who brought it to North America.
posted by FritoKAL at 11:33 AM on April 25, 2023 [10 favorites]

The question of whether they should be classed as endangered should already be obvious: we are building stuff on their very specific habitat. They are endangered. Endangered by us.
posted by scruss at 11:38 AM on April 25, 2023 [1 favorite]

Something exceedingly strange is going on with armadillos and leprosy:

Leprosy Bacterium Rejuvenates Armadillos’ Livers

Mycobacterium leprae appeared to reprogram the animals’ livers to a state partially resembling early development, resulting in healthy organ growth.

The liver has an extensive regeneration capacity compared to other organs. However, repetitive injury—for instance, from chronic viral infection or the increasingly common nonalcoholic fatty liver disease—can lead to severe long-term damage for which the only treatment is organ transplantation.

One of the challenges in tissue regeneration is to induce organ growth without also bringing about tumor formation or other abnormalities. A new study published today (November 15) in Cell Reports Medicine suggests that bacteria causing leprosy may hold the key to boosting the organ’s regenerative capacity. Specifically, the authors found that nine-banded armadillos (Dasypus novemcinctus) infected with Mycobacterium leprae developed enlarged livers without any visible damage.

“I think this is clear proof that there’s [regenerative] mechanisms that we weren’t aware of that are happening in mammals,” says Nina Tirnitz-Parker, a liver disease and regeneration researcher at the Curtin Medical School and Curtin Health Innovation Research Institute in Australia. In this case, after years of evolutionary coexistence, “bacteria have figured out how to” induce healthy organ growth in their hosts without damaging them, she says. Tirnitz-Parker was not involved in this study but collaborates with one of its coauthors on a separate project.

Mycobacterium leprae is not what I was expecting to find growing in the Fountain of Youth.
posted by jamjam at 11:53 AM on April 25, 2023 [6 favorites]

So, I know Mariella. I mean not personally but we have corresponded, for quite a while when I was in grad school. I am a fan of armadillos. For a long time I maintained an armadillo website (it’s still live but I don’t really update it any more). A significant number of the photos hosted there were provided by Mariella, including some that were physically mailed to me back in the olden days. She’s pretty awesome and I’m glad to see this posted here.
posted by caution live frogs at 12:04 PM on April 25, 2023 [22 favorites]

Excelklent link and comments thanks all.
posted by Meatbomb at 1:07 PM on April 25, 2023

I don't know what I expected when I clicked the link, but this wasn't it. Great post!
posted by mumimor at 1:59 PM on April 25, 2023 [1 favorite]

Thanks for the post!
posted by winesong at 3:12 PM on April 25, 2023

I wish I had an armored butt plate.

Cleaning it without help might be a problem.
posted by y2karl at 3:32 PM on April 25, 2023 [1 favorite]

Pink fairy armadillos seem to make it work.
posted by GenjiandProust at 4:45 PM on April 25, 2023

Yes, but consider how that probably works for them -- apart from the rare few among us who can reach their hineys with their tongues, it is just not true for the rest of humanity. I imagine social gatherings would be quite different were it otherwise.
posted by y2karl at 5:29 PM on April 25, 2023 [1 favorite]

“If only the slightest thing was moved in the terrarium, the armadillo would start scurrying around making this eerie, high-pitched scream until everything was put back exactly in the same place,” says Superina.

Same, tiny armadillo, same.
posted by See you tomorrow, saguaro at 5:43 PM on April 25, 2023 [12 favorites]

I was so afraid the answer would be 'no', and very delighted that it was not.
posted by lesbiassparrow at 6:29 AM on April 26, 2023 [2 favorites]

@Rainmaker1973: "Armadillos collect leaf litter they use to build nests in their burrows. Because of the specific armadillo's body shape, the animal opts for bunching a pile of leaves up against their abdomens and hopping backwards toward their nest."
posted by kliuless at 10:28 PM on April 28, 2023 [1 favorite]