"Pink Fairy Armadillos: Unusual Double Skin Discovery"
Pink fairy armadillos, the smallest species of armadillo, have a unique double skin with an outer layer housing cornified scales and osteoderms, and an inner layer with fine white fur, making it a unique feature among mammals. This double skin is an adaptation to their subterranean lifestyle, allowing them to move through sandy soil and compact sediment in their tunnels. The armadillo's protective armor is divided into two zones, serving to protect against predators and support their underground lifestyle. The evolution towards a completely subterranean lifestyle in the fairy armadillo's ancestral lineage is estimated to have taken place between 32 and 17 million years ago.