Looking like a cross between an armadillo and a mole, the pichiciego (pronounced pitch-isee-AEY-go) likes to stay undercover in its South American home. This small mammal uses long claws on all four of its feet to dig tunnels in the soil and stay safely underground. The pichiciego does venture out to feed at night, using a keen sense of smell to find prey; when finished eating, it quickly retreats to its hideaway.
Pink Armor: A mesh of hard pink plates stretches from the pichiciego's nose, all the way down its back to its read. This armor is flexible so it doesn't inhibit the animal's movement but can still protect it from the bites of birds and other predators.
Soil Guard: This creature's white fur is extremely smooth and slick. This prevents dirt from caking up so the animal can move freely and quickly through its tunnels. The pichiciego's odd appearance has earned it the nickname "fairy armadillo."
Underground Animal[]
The pichiciego's first reaction to danger is to start digging in the sandy South American soil.
The pichiciego spends most of its life beneath the Earth's surface, and it has the perfect tools to cope with an underground existence. This creature has wide, inch-long claws on its front legs that form perfect shovels when squeezed together. The pichiciego digs narrow tunnels, throwing the soil back towards its hind legs. The animal's hind legs kick the dirt out of the way so it doesn't get stuck in its own crawl space.
Food Finder: This creature only comes above ground when it's dark. It ambles over the ground in search of food. The pichiciego often sniffs out an anthill with its keen sense of smell and gorges itself on this favorite source of food.
Elusive: The pichiciego is a shy creature that quickly hides from anything it perceives as a threat. In fact, scientists trying to study it in its natural habitat have discovered more fossils of prehistoric armadillos than living pichiciegos!
Dig for Cover[]
- While searching for prey above ground, a pichiciego is startled by a sudden noise. The timid creature doesn't want to stick around to investigate, so it immediately begins to dig.
- In a blur of rapid movement, the mole-like mammal scrapes away at the soft soil with the shovel-like claws on its front feet. The pichiciego uses its hind leg to kick the debris away.
- Within seconds, the creature is underground. It waits for the danger to pass with its armored read covering the whole. In a few minutes, the pichiciego comes back out to feed again.
Trivia[]
- The scientific names featured on the card are the Pink Fairy Armadillo (Chlamyphorus truncatus) and the Greater Fairy Armadillo (Chlamyphorus restusus), respectively.
- The pichiciego is featured in It's All Relative! on Monster Mania 41.