The Pink Fairy Armadillo Can Fit in the Palm of Your Hand and Has a Special ‘Butt Plate’ For Burrowing

The pink fairy armadillo, known scientifically as the Chlamyphorus truncatus, is a tiny armadillo covered in pink plates and silky white hair that can fit in the palm of your hand. CONICET researcher Mariella Superina and her team have been studying the rare creature in Mendoza, Argentina to determine whether the pink fairy armadillo is endangered, rare, or simply hard to spot.

According to Science News, biologists had previously thought the fairy armadillo “swims” through sand and dirt. Instead, Superina says “It was very funny — it digs and then it backs up and compacts the sand with its butt plate.”