Armadillos

Here in Texas, most everyone has seen our state mammal, an Armadillo, scampering along the side of the highway. To those outside of Texas, however, Armadillos might be unheard of. They are small mammals, about 30 inches long, and their back is covered by a shell of armor. This shell is actually plates of bone covered in scaly skin. In the center of the armor, there are bands which allow the back to contract, kind of like an accordion. It is the number of bands in an Armadillo's shell that is the primary distiguisher between species. Although some can roll themselves into a ball, the 9-banded species that lives in Texas cannot. You would probably think that this shell is what Armadillos rely on to protect themselves, but in fact, their main strategy for escaping predators is to run away or dig themselves into a hole. Armadillos have a very unique reproductive system. Each time a mother gives birth, she has 4 identical quadrulplets, all of the same sex.

Check out this cool Armadillo shop:

Flying Armadillo


Check out this cool Armadillo art:

by Vladimir Kleymenov



by Nathaniel P. Jensen