Weirdly human armadillo in samurai armour

Rowan Hooper, news editor

(Images from Tim Flach's latest book, More than Human (Abrams))

I see this armadillo, in its close-fitting samurai armour, and think: cool animal. Then I see that it is raised on its front claws and think: furtive, scrabbling beast. Then I take in the pink ear and the long bristles, the marble eye, and I think: vulnerable animal.

It's no surprise that this shot of a southern three-banded armadillo (Tolypeutes matacus) has such a weirdly human quality. Photographer Tim Flach, who is based in London, is well known for the humanising quality he brings to his pictures.

"With the armadillo I just thought it looked cool - it was about the aesthetics of the animal," he says. "I knew it was the only species that can roll into a complete ball, that's why we wanted to shoot this one, to get the contrast."

The three bands that give this animal its name provide flexibility of movement and allow it to curl its head to its tail, protecting all soft areas from predators. That's part of the contrast Flach is interested in. The southern three-banded armadillo can protect itself pretty well in a ball of armour, but it is nevertheless a near-threatened species: its habitat is being converted to farmland, and it is hunted for the pet trade and for food. "We like to use the aesthetic of these beautiful images to engage the viewer, to bring the viewer to the debate," Flach says.

Source: http://feeds.newscientist.com/c/749/f/10897/s/2580059f/l/0L0Snewscientist0N0Cblogs0Cshortsharpscience0C20A120C110Carmadillo0Earmour0Bhtml0Dcmpid0FRSS0QNSNS0Q20A120EGLOBAL0Qonline0Enews/story01.htm

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