Two screaming hairy armadillos were born at the National Zoo in Washington, making it the first time such a species has been born at the facility.
The animals were born Aug. 11, officials at the zoo said.
This species of armadillos get their name from the "squealing noise they emit" if they're threatened, and they have more hair on their bodies than other types of armadillos.
So far the screaming hairy armadillos are "still spending all of their time in their nest" and "their eyes have not opened yet," zoo officials said in a statement. The zoo officials also said the "bony plates that cover their bodies" are like armor and have very fine hairs on them.
The two armadillo pups most recently weighed in at about 5 ounces each, which is about the weight of a deck of cards.
Under a plan to keep screaming hairy armadillos around, the Association of Zoos and Aquariums recommended that the pups' parents, Amber and Dylan Walter, breed. They did, and the pups are the result.
When fully grown, these screaming armadillos will weigh less than two pounds. The are the smallest of the three species of armadillo. Screaming hairy armadillos are native to the Monte Desert, just east of the Andes Mountains in South America. They typically like sandy, loose soil so they can burrow and escape predators.