A is for Armadillo – hairy and screaming!
.
.
The screaming, hairy armadillo, Chaetophractus vellerosus, is a small (about 14.5 inches) burrowing armadillo from central and southern South America.
If startled or picked up, this little creature emits piercing cries, thought to be a defence mechanism.
It lives in many habitats where it is possible to burrow, and is omnivorous, eating insects, vertebrates such as lizards and frogs, and also plants.
They have have 1-2 babies a year, are not endangered, although they are hunted for meat in Bolivia and their carapaces are used to make ‘charangos’, a South American lute-like musical instrument.
These hairy armadillos are rather small compared with other armadillos – except for the pink fairy armadillo.
Pink fairy armadillos live in central Argentina and are 4.5 inches long at the most. Numbers are dwindling in part due to habitat destruction but there is insufficient data to classify them as endangered.
.
Poem © Liz Brownlee, facts from Wiki.
If you’d like to blog-hop to the next A-Z challenge, click here.
.
- Posted in: A-Z Challenge 2014
- Tagged: animal, animal facts, Armadillo, children, fun, fun facts, poetry, science
lizbrownlee - poet 
Always loved the word Armadillo! Good ‘A’.
On the A to Z Challenge Maggie@expatbrazil.
LikeLike
Hello, Maggie thank you!
LikeLike
Hehe, like it. Gave me a smile at work (a rare event).
LikeLike
What a great post. I love the poem. I use to live in Texas and we had them in West Texas. Their screams are scary when you first hear them.
LikeLike
Now I know what an animal poet is! Love the combination of the artistic with the factual!
LikeLike
We have armadillos where I live, but they are relatively less “cute” in real life, and I must say I’ve never heard one scream . . . thank goodness!
LikeLike
‘Tis only the hairy screaming armadillo that screams, I think the rest are less… dramatic!
LikeLike
‘alarmadillo’ XD *laughing* I love it!
LikeLike
Hehe!
LikeLike