Meet Walter: National Zoo's Screaming Hairy Armadillo

Going to ZooLights during the holidays? Be sure to stop by the Small Mammal House and say hello to one of the National Zoo’s newest residents: Walter, the Screaming Hairy Armadillo.

Walter is 3-years-old and came to the zoo from the Cincinnati Zoo. The Cincinnati Zoo says: “As its name implies, the screaming hairy armadillo squeals when threatened, perhaps by a hungry jaguar. Resting inside a burrow dug deep into a sand dune, it escapes the heat of a summer day. In winter, the armadillo is more active during the day.”

Unlike the three other armadillos who live at the Small Mammal House at the National Zoo, Walter is the only screaming hairy armadillo.

They get their name from the loud piercing noise they emit to warn off predators. (In the video below, we couldn’t help but think of the squealing Mandrakes from the Harry Potter films.)

VIDEO: This is NOT Walter, but it will give you an idea of what a Screaming Hairy Armadillo sounds like since the zoo did not have a video of Walter.

Little (or Screaming) Hairy Armadillo vocalizes when it perceives a threat. This little one is an albino which is not common in the wild. Posted on YouTube by TropicEllie