Exploring Nature: Armadillo

Pity the poor armadillo, an animal that is often seen dead along Texas highways, resting on its back with its tiny feet up in the air, a victim of vehicular traffic.

About the size of a small dog, the nine-banded armadillo came up to Texas from Mexico about a century ago, first arriving in the lower Rio Grande Valley and then moving north. It is now found throughout the state, except for a part of the panhandle and west of the Odessa-Midland area.

Other states hosting armadillos include Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas, Mississippi and Florida.

It is legal to shoot this hardshelled little critter in Texas and it is considered a “non-game” animal with no closed hunting season, so long as it is killed “by lawful means on private property.”

My backyard garden was once dug up by a hungry armadillo and they can do serious damage with their sharp claws.

Their bony shell acts like armor and protects the little critter from predators. But as witness the carnage on our highways, they are no match for speeding automobiles.

Armadillos eat mostly insects, including their larvae, plus grubs, birds, roots and worms. They live in burrows excavated by their claws.

Active mostly at twilight through the early morning hours, they have very poor eyesight, but a keen sense of smell.

This animal is popular in central Texas and has been especially celebrated in Austin, home of the original Armadillo World Headquarters.

And, no, they do not carry leprosy; that’s an old wives’ tale.

So let’s hear it for this small creature that is more often seen dead than alive – long may the armadillo be found in Texas!