Chlamyphorus truncatus: Pink Fairy Armadillo

Pink Fairy Armadillo - Chlamyphorus truncatus
( Harlan, 1825 )

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Subspecies:	Unknown
Est. World Population:

CITES Status:	NOT LISTED
IUCN Status:	Data Deficient
U.S. ESA Status:	NOT LISTED

Body Length:
Tail Length:
Shoulder Height:
Weight:

Top Speed:
Jumping Ability:	(Horizontal)

Life Span:	in the Wild
Life Span:	in Captivity

Sexual Maturity:	(Females)
Sexual Maturity:	(Males)
Litter Size:
Gestation Period:

Habitat:

This poorly known, nocturnal species is found in dry grassland and sandy plains with shrubby vegetation, always on sandy soils. Areas with high temperature seasonality seem to be more suitable for pink fairy armadillos (Torres et al. 2015). Field sightings are rare and incidental due to its subterranean and nocturnal habits.

Pink fairy armadillos are probably generalist insectivores (Redford 1985). As a desert-adapted species, C. truncatus does not drink water but rather obtains moisture from its food; one individual under human care for eight months was never observed drinking (Superina 2011).

Females probably give birth to 1-2 offspring in spring or early summer; anecdotal reports suggest that the newborn are about 3-4 cm long (Minoprio 1945). A large proportion of records correspond to juvenile males observed in February and March (M. Superina pers. comm. 2024), which suggests that they become independent and leave their mother’s territory at less than 6 months of age. No information is available about survival rates, longevity, reproductive lifespan, gestation length or growth rates of pink fairy armadillos.

Range:

This smallest of all armadillo species is endemic to central Argentina, where it is found in the provinces of Buenos Aires (southern part only), Catamarca, Córdoba, La Pampa, La Rioja, Mendoza, Neuquén, Rio Negro, San Juan and San Luis (Borghi et al. 2011, Abba et al. 2012). It occurs from sea level to 1,500 m asl.

Conservation:

The pink fairy armadillo 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, such as Bosques Telteca and the MAB Reserve Ñacuñán. Nevertheless, distribution models suggest that in Argentina, this is the armadillo species with the lowest percentage of its range (1.7%) within National Parks (Tognelli et al. 2011). The species is listed as Data Deficient in Argentina (Superina et al. 2019). There is national and provincial legislation specifically in place for its protection, such as Provincial Law 6,599 Mendoza that declares the pink fairy armadillo a "natural monument" and establishes a total and permanent hunting ban for the species. Further studies into the population status, demography and ecology of this species are needed.