Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Texas Armadillo or "Possum on a Half Shell"

Lilly, this is an armadillo. Lovely, freaky creature isn't it?


They're funny looking mammals covered in armor that are extremely common in our wonderful state. Kind of like an anteater with a shell. They remind me of a football with legs. They're not very big, I'm guessing around 12 to 18 pounds at most and around two feet long including their tail. They love to dig and are notorious for destroying lawns. They're just looking for food, insects and grubs, but they make a real mess and a heck of a hole.

Armadillos are often found in the road with tire tracks down the middle of their body. No, I'm not kidding. Very common roadkill. I think it's because they're nocturnal and hard to see at night. It's certainly not because they're slow. Trust me, those little boogers can run! Also, they jump straight up in the air when they get scared. Not a good idea in front of a 60 mph car...

Around here we have what my hubby and I term the armadillo wars. I hate to say it, but he does shoot them when they start tearing up the yard around the house. They think our yard is the local "All You Can Eat Buffet." If they're not tearing up the yard, we leave them alone. I heard they eat snakes. Not for sure on that one, but I'll pick an armadillo over a snake any day.
Question Why did the chicken cross the road??
Answer To show the armadillo that it could be done.
(Just a note....This is not one of my photos.)

4 comments:

Lilly said...

Wow - thank you for teaching me all about Armadillos - we have possums here (usually appearing in the roof) which reminds me of a hilarious story I should blog about some time. All you can eat buffet - he he- you are funny! No wonder he gets some shooting practice in is all I can say. I will just remember a football with legs..

TroubleX2 said...

It's your turn now....

I can't wait to hear this one! Most of your stories ARE HILARIOUS!

Meg said...

Those creatures are amazing. Around here, we have deer that tear up the yard. I hear they're good on a buffet, too.

TroubleX2 said...

Hola, Ms. Fantasy! (wow! that sounds funky)

We have the deer, too. I guess they're isn't anything in my yard worthy of a deer feast.

They're staying hidden at the moment. It's deer season!