Feb 21, 2009

Armadillo Imprinting

Angie was viewing this photo with her seven-year-old son, who asked what it was. Angie explained that it was a baby armadillo. Her son said it looks more like a worm with a huge mouth.

That pretty much sums it up. Maybe a clawed worm, or even an amphisbaenian.

This particular baby armadillo was abandoned by its mother Jerusalem's Biblical Zoo. Naughty mother. Thankfully, there was staff on hand to assume the parenting role. I wonder how that works in regards to imprinting, or if armadillos even imprint. Uh oh, I see the genesis of a great childrens story...

Photo credit Baz Ratner/Reuters

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

I think it's cute. It's like a newborn puppy -- closed eyes, no teeth -- but with a protective shell. I bet that shell's a little soft in the beginning. Aren't they endangered?

Sabina E. said...

aaawwwwwwww

Anonymous said...

Don't armadillos sometimes acts as vectors for leprosy?--Okay, I looked it up. Rarely. But they do sometimes have it.
http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/1306/is-it-true-that-armadillos-carry-leprosy

T. M. Cain said...

...it looks like a naked mole rat with a shell. And yet, I'd still cuddle it.

Jessica Olin said...

Wow, cute and ugly at the same time. That's quite an accomplishment.

Anonymous said...

Adult armadillos = teh cute. Babies... yeah, pretty ugly. But in that 'helpless baby bird' kind of way.

Anonymous said...

What happened to the other three babies? Armadillos always give birth to four identical quads, dividing from one original fertilized egg.
Just askin'...