It’s an armadillo’s life
September 23, 2005
I hadn’t thought much about the lowly Armadillo since my army days in central Texas, where it seemed primarily a species of road-kill and a messy one at that. On the off-chance that you, dear reader, haven’t been thinking about armadillos as much as you should, I offer the following stolen text.
New World armored mammal of the order Edentata, a group that also includes the sloth and the anteater, characterized by peglike teeth without roots or enamel. Armadillos are found from Argentina to Panama, with one species reaching the southern United States. The head and body of an armadillo are almost completely covered by an armor of plates made of bone and horny material; the plates are separated by soft skin which bears a few hairs. The body armor, or carapace, hangs down on either side of the animal’s body and is divided into flexible bands across the back. Members of some armadillo species can roll into a ball for protection. Armadillos are omnivorous, although insects form the bulk of their diet. Most are nocturnal, resting during the day in burrows that they excavate with their strong front feet and enormous claws; they can dig into the ground with amazing speed when threatened.
Sounds like a repulsive little critter, it does, and an even more repulsive road-kill. I recently spent a couple of days at the home of a brother living in the wilds of southern Missouri. When I remarked on what looked like miniature strip mines around his yard and shrubs, he replied, “Armadillos!” followed by a few unprintable observations. I gathered that he doesn’t like them.
It turns out that the creatures are slowly moving north, and we had better hope that they are not Rebels in disguise, unwilling to admit that the Civil War ended some years ago.
Dave, looking for a pet sloth
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When I drove down to Camdenton a few weeks ago to pick up Tucker, the half-Malamute half-German Shepherd dog, I saw a roadkill armadillo along the endless strip which has metastatized along the lake. It looked like the result of a tank crash on the freeway!
Apparently they have migrated to LOZ area. I wonder how far north they can be found.