What:
Media are invited to a feeding and weigh-in session for a southern three-banded armadillo born July 14 at Woodland Park Zoo. The male infant was immediately placed under intensive care by zoo animal health staff after showing visible signs of dehydration, low body temperature and below average birth weight. The birth marked the first surviving offspring for the 12-year-old mother and 3-year-old father. .

The baby armadillo is off public view at the zoo’s Animal Health Complex and is receiving top-notch, 24-hour care to ensure its health and well being. The parents may be seen at the zoo’s Night Exhibit where visitors encounter nocturnal wildlife including sloths, a variety of prosimians, Australian fruit bats and vampire bats.

When:
Thursday, August 7, 2:00-2:30 p.m.

Where:
Woodland Park Zoo’s Animal Health Complex. Enter through the zoo’s South Gate parking lot at N. 50th St. & Fremont Ave. N. Continue driving straight onto the service road that winds behind the Rose Garden. The Complex is the first building on the left.

Other Info:
Armadillos, armored mammals, originated in South America and belong to the same order as anteaters and two- and three-toed sloths. The southern three-banded armadillo is found in central and eastern Bolivia, the Mato Grasso of Brazil, Chaco region of Paraguay, and northern and central Argentina. It lives in grassy or marshy areas between scattered forestland. Among the 20 species of armadillos, the three-banded is the only armadillo capable of rolling itself into a ball as an effective means of defense against natural enemies. Three-bandeds mainly eat ants and termites, which they obtain by probing into the ground, under bark, and into nests with powerful forelegs and claws.

The southern three-banded armadillo is easily captured and hunted for food. Its population is suffering due to over hunting, and its habitat is naturally fragmented and threatened by agricultural development, cutting for charcoal and mining. In the U.S., armadillos can be found all over the Southeast as they expanded their range northward. They have moved as far west as Colorado and have been spotted in Nebraska.

To watch video of the baby armadillo, visit the "Species Spotlight" section of Woodland Park Zoo’s Web site. Zoo summer hours are 9:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. daily. For general zoo information, log on the zoo’s Web site or call 206-684-4800.