She will grow up to play a very important role in raising awareness about the plight of Armadillos in the wild and the threats they face, as well as the vital conservation work undertaken by RZSS to help conserve the Giant Armadillo from extinction.” Inti was about the size of a golf ball when she was born, but is growing quickly and is a little bundle of energy. Sarah Wright, Animal Presentations Team Leader at RZSS Edinburgh Zoo, said, “Our new arrival is doing well, and we are all celebrating her birth, as she is only the second Armadillo to be born at the Zoo. Once Inti gets a little older, she will take part in the Zoo’s daily educational show called Animal Antics, where she will help raise awareness of vital work taking place by the conservation charity Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, who own and manage Edinburgh Zoo, to help the Giant Armadillo in the Brazilian Pantanal.* She is currently a little over three-weeks-old and is reaching the size of a baseball! In 2014 another female called Rica was also born to parents Rio and Rodar.Īt two-days-old, Inti was about the size of a golf ball and weighed only 100g, but by two-weeks-old she was just a little smaller than a tennis ball. Inti is only the second birth of any Armadillo species at RZSS Edinburgh Zoo. (Pronounced ‘In-tee’, the name comes from the ancient Inca sun god, of the same name.) The tiny, female, armour-plated arrival was born in the middle of April and has been named Inti by her keepers. Keepers at RZSS Edinburgh Zoo are delighted to announce the birth of a Southern Three-banded Armadillo. Hunting and capture for the pet trade also contribute to the Armadillos' decline. Primary threats include habitat destruction as native grasslands are converted to farms. Southern Three-banded Armadillos are listed as Near Threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Southern Three-banded Armadillos are native to South America, where they inhabit parts of Argentina, Paraguay, Bolivia, and Brazil and feed on a variety of insects. The outer “armor” is made of keratin, the same material that makes up your fingernails. Pallina is the first offspring for parents Lil and Titan and the first Armadillo born at the zoo since 2011.Īrmadillos are known for their ability to curl into a ball, using their hard outer shell to protect their face and soft underside. Within a month of her birth on February 28, Pallina more than quadrupled her weight – the equivalent of a seven-pound newborn human weighing 32 pounds at one month of age! Photo Credits: DJJam Photo (1), Cassandre Crawford (2,3) When a Southern Three-banded Armadillo was born at the Cincinnati Zoo this spring, keepers selected a fitting name for the golf-ball-sized female: Pallina, which happens to be the name of the small white ball in a bocce set. Destruction of the dry chaco habitat and its conversion to farmland are the major threats to the species.Ĭontinue reading "Baby Armadillo Drinks Milk From Tiny Dish" » Once Spock is mature, he will likely be moved to another zoo, where he will be an important part of the breeding program to support this species, which is listed as Near Threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Southern Three-banded Armadillos are one of only two types of Armadillo that can roll completely into a ball for protection. The shell, which is made of keratin, is the same material that human fingernails are made of. They collect ants and termites on their long, sticky tongue. Southern Three-banded Armadillos are native to the southern interior of South America. The zoo reports that Spock is developing well and tripled his weight by the time he was 6 weeks old. With practice, he is now a pro at slurping up his supper. One day, Spock started licking milk from a tiny bowl. Keepers tried using an eye dropper at feeding time, but Spock didn’t like that, either. Getting Spock to eat was a challenge at first – he would not drink from a bottle. By that afternoon, the staff realized that Hermiona was showing no interest in her pup and did not nurse him, so they decided to hand-rear the infant. When a Southern Three-banded Armadillo pup was born at Poland’s Zoo Wroclaw one morning in May, zoo keepers kept a close eye on how the mother, Hermiona, interacted with her newborn.
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