FIFA choose an armadillo as the official mascot of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. SHOWS: RECIFE, BRAZIL (RECENT) (FIFA VNR - ACCESS ALL) 1. PROMOTIONAL VIDEO SHOWING THE THREE-BANDED ARMADILLO 2014 WORLD CUP MASCOT STORY: Spain had Naranjito the smiling orange in 1982, France Footix the football playing rooster in '98, now Brazil have chosen an endangered armadillo as the mascot for the 2014 World Cup. FIFA said the mascot, unveiled late on Sunday, represented the three-banded armadillo, an endangered species indigenous to Brazil. While nature's version is light brown in colour, FIFA's mascot is yellow with green eyes and a blue shell, the colours of the Brazilian flag, and will be holding aloft a football. Three-banded armadillos live mainly in Brazil's arid northeast and are threatened by habitat destruction. They are unusual among armadillos in that they can roll up into a ball to defend themselves from predators. FIFA said a vote would be held to choose the mascot's name. Other mascots over the years include 'Zakumi' the leopard from South Africa 2010, 'Pique' the chillipepper from Mexico 1986, and a lion named 'World Cup Willie' from England in 1966.
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