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TEXAS ROAD KILL

Texas Road Kill page is full of Armadillo's stories and factual information. It will enlighten you to the Armadillos importance to our environment, history, habits. Here you will find almost true stories of the Texas State Mammal and one of America's famous creatures of Legends and Lore. “Armadillos are my favorite subject for my Funny Greeting Cards and Comical Christmas Cards!” - Says, Caddylak Maxy.

A Comments on armadillos
By James Mitchner
"So when he looked at an Armadillo on its way to dig in his lawn, he saw not a destructive little tank with incredibly powerful digging devices, but a symbol of the grandeur of creation, the passing of time, the mystery of birth, the great beauty that exists in the world in so many different manifestations: An armadillo is not one whit more beautiful or mysterious than a butterfly or a pine cone, but it's more fun."

Just A Bug Rootin' Critter
Important Information by Caddylak Maxy
Texas number one speed bump! These little guys look like army tanks with long noses. The nine-banded armadillo is the one found in Texas and the southern United States . It's called that because it has nine bands of plates. Check it out if you can find one not smashed on the road.

Why did the chicken cross the road? To show the armadillo it could be done. The armadillo just seems to have a tough time getting the hang of it.

Armadillos seem to have a strong attraction to roads. One theory is that they want get to the other side to look for bugs (You all know how it is.. The bugs are always crunchier on the other side of the road). The ‘Dillo will be ambling along munching bugs when suddenly, he sees headlights. Not only does he freeze in his tracks; he does a little jump.. Just about that time you're truck arrives.

Whump! Realignment time!

If you're lucky enough to see a live armadillo on the side of the road, it's probably munching insects. What you're more likely to see is a partial armadillo. The farther south you go, the higher the ‘Dillo count.

Click "Texas Penguin" Cartoon to view Armadillos Christmas Cards!

Armadillos Facts
Written by Ms. Armadillos herself, Suzanne McPhee
The nine-banded armadillo, Dasypus novemcinctus, and the other nineteen species of armadillos, as well as the anteaters and sloths, belong to the order Edentata. The term “endentate: means toothless, but this is not actually true of the nine-banded armadillo. It has neither canine nor incisor teeth, but it does have thirty-two small, per-like, open rooted, enameless molars in the rear part of its jaw. The anteater is the only completely toothless endentate.

Armadillos are ancient creatures that have been around more than fifty-five million years. Some twenty species range from the southern United States to the tip of Argentina and range in size from the seven-inch long endangered pink fairy armadillos to the 125 lb. giant Armadillo. However, the nine-banded armadillo is the only one found in the United States . Armadillo means “Little armored one” in Spanish, and was so dubbed by the early Spanish explorer Hernando Cortez when he and his soldiers encountered them in Mexico in 1520. He even took one back to Spain to show the royal family.

Distribution in the United States is from Texas (east of the Pecos River), through Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Arkansas, Oklahoma and the southern portions of Missouri and Kansas. Their range is limited by climate and aridity. Since they do not hibernate or store large quantities of body fat, they cannot endure extended periods of very cold weather. They need to be able to forage throughout the year. Also, long term aridity limits their food supply of insects and makes the digging of dens difficult. The “diggability” of the soil is a strong factor in the number of armadillos in an area.

The armadillos generally prefer areas of dense plant growth. Their burrows can usually be found at the base of trees and bushes that have strong roots and are near a water supply. As well as needing water for drinking and feeding, they are fond of taking mud baths in very shallow water. Conversely, an excess of water is not desirable and they are not found in marshy areas.

Armadillos dig more dens than most other burrowing animals. One armadillo can have as many as fifteen burrows. While one burrow serves as a nest, the others are used as hideouts when danger is near and as food traps. A burrow can be anywhere from four feet to twenty-four feet in length and be as deep as five feet beneath the surface, with the hole diameter usually 7-8 inches. Armadillos are not territorial and in fact have been known to share their burrows, which is especially beneficial in providing habitats for other creatures.

The armadillo is a clean animal. It buries its excrement in the dirt in the manner as cats, so as to not betray its presence. It changes its nesting material often, which consists of leaves and grass. This is done particularly after a severe rain, when decaying leaves are often found outside of the nest. The armadillo has an unusual manner of carrying nesting material to its burrow. With efficiency, this little animal will hold the leaves and grass underneath its body with its front legs and hop backwards using its tail as a feeler.

These archaic animals, the only mammals with armor, present may unique features, The armor, called a carapace, consists of ossified (bony) dermal plates covered by a modified skin structure; this keratinized skin is semi-flexible with a leathery texture. They have a front and rear shield separated by nine movable bands (may vary from 8 to 11). The head, tail and exposed parts of the legs are also armored. The tail is ringed by bands of armor. The armor provides excellent protection from briars and thorns in the underbrush. This enables the armadillos to plunge into thickets that their predators cannot penetrate. Contrary to popular belief, the nine-banded armadillos cannot roll up into a ball. This talent is possessed by the three-banded armadillo, a relative in South America . There are sparse hairs on the upper surface of the shell. Yellow-white, coarse hair grows on the soft skin of the underbelly and most of them also have this hair on the under part of their heads where it looks like whiskers.

The nine-banded armadillo is gray-brown in color and about the size of a small terrier dog. The length of its head and body are from 15-17 inches and the tail is 14-16 inches. The animal can weigh between 8 and 17 pounds. There are four toes on the front feet and five toes on the hind feet. The armadillo has a phenomenal capacity for digging because of its large, strong, curved claws and a highly developed muscular system. It can bury itself completely within two minutes.

The eyesight of the armadillo is poor, but it has a superb sense of smell that allows it to locate insects as deep as eight inches underground. Its anteater-like tongue is long, thin and has sticky saliva; it is specialized for lapping up insects. Sense of smell is not only utilized in food-getting but also serves as a means of defense. While foraging or just traveling, the animal stops at intervals, rears on its haunches, and tests the air.

The armadillo is the only animal that does natural cloning. A mother armadillos produces four babies per litter, all of the same sex. They are genetically identical quadruplets that start of as a single egg, which divides into two and finally into four. The babies are fully developed miniatures of their parents, with eyes open and able to walk within one hour. When they are born, the shells are pink in color with a soft, leathery texture. The babies' carapace toughens, thickens, and darkens with age. They reach physical maturity in about 16 months. There life span in the wild can be up to 16 years.

Armadillos mate in the late summer and early fall. The female has a normal delayed implantation of the embryo of three months, then a development of four months so that the babies are born in the springtime when food is plentiful. The female has a unique ability to further delay her pregnancy up to three years under conditions that are stressful. This extended, delayed implantation is longer than any other animal.

The armadillo eats mostly insects, grubs, and worms, which it finds by nosing around in fallen leaves and ground vegetation and digging into the ground with its sharp claws. It will also eat berries and fruits in season and other small invertebrates such as spiders, scorpion and snails. The armadillo is especially beneficial because it feeds on insects harmful to crops, most notably fire ants.

This shy, docile and non-aggressive creature spends most of its waking hours rooting in the soil while grunting and snuffling almost constantly and hustles about changing directions often; oblivious to what is going on around it. The adults are usually solitary except during mating season and when the young are small. It is easy to tell if armadillos have been in the area. They leave conical holes 1 to 2 inches deep called foraging pits, where they have been rooting in the soil. They also leave a conspicuous trail. The dragging tail is a dead giveaway, leaving an imprint similar that of a rope.

Armadillos have many distinct habits. Their daily rhythm is regulated by temperature. During the summer they are nocturnal; that is, they spend most of the day sleeping in an underground burrow and come out to eat at night. However, they will come out during the daytimes in the summer immediately following a rain or extreme cloudiness, if the temperature falls. They reverse their schedule in the winter to forage in the warmest part of the afternoon. This is known as being diurnal.

These curious, little creatures have a unique manner of crossing water. They are heavy for their size, denser that water. They can cross small streams by walking on the bottom completely submerged. They are able to go for as long as ten minutes without breathing. Not only is this ability useful for crossing water but when escaping danger, it enables them to dig fast and vigorously without uncovering their nose and mouth for breathing. If a river is wide and they have to swim, they swallow air to inflate their stomachs and intestines for buoyancy, and float across.

Carnivores, such as dogs, bobcats, foxes, coyotes and mountain lions are the most significant enemies of the armadillo. Another major enemy is man and the automobile. Many armadillos are found dead on the roadsides because of their unfortunate habit of reflexively jumping straight up, as high as three feet, when startled. Instead of being run over by car's wheels, they are hit in the air as they jump up or hit the car's underside.

When alarmed the armadillo is capable of astonishing speed and agility and is a master of dodging. Its reaction to danger is to run or burrow rapidly into the ground and wedge itself into the hole with its back and claws. If pursued, it changes from its normal shuffling gait to a scuttle, and then a fast gallop with a remarkable burst of speed and can outrun a person over short distances. If caught, it will fight with its claws but will never bite, for there are no teeth in the front part of its mouth.

Armadillos have been the subject of medical and scientific research in the reproductive physiology and genetics because of their unique abilities to clone and delay their pregnancy. Another peculiarity of the armadillo, as well as all of the edentates, is that they are incomplete homoeothermic animals, which means that they have primitive thermoregulation traits. Instead of maintaining a constant body temperature as humans do the armadillo's body temperature fluctuates depending on environment, air temperature, and activity. They are also used in leprosy research. Sue to their low body temperature of 87 to 95 degrees F, they are suitable hosts for the leprosy bacilli. They are the only animal other than man that will consistently grow the bacilli under laboratory conditions. Because of their unique susceptibility to leprosy they have been used to develop a vaccine against this ancient disease. According to the U.S. Public Health Service, there is no hard evidence that the armadillo can transmit leprosy to humans, only the other way around.

Famous Armadillos Quotes

• "Jalapeno Sam" Lewis: "They're magic - like the platypus and kangaroo!"
• Famous Ornithologist John James Audubon: "This singular production of nature ...resembles a small pig saddled with the shell of a turtle." and "More peaceable than the Opossum."
• Texas Folklorist J. Frank Dobie: "The nation was becoming well-stocked with Armadillo Meat for the next depression."
• "Jalapeno Sam" Lewis: "It's good, clean meat and people still eat them today!"
• Hondo Crouch, Famous Late Mayor of Lunkenbach, Texas who advocated a 'dillo diet: "You can eat nothing but armadillos for a month, but you will have to run down and catch all the armadillos you eat and it can really take the weight off!"
• "Ms. Armadillo" Sue McPhee: "Ain't them Armadillos Purdy!"
• Texas Cartoonist "Caddylak Maxy" Gathings: "Mah favorite cartoon subject is Texas Road Kill!"
• Caddylak Maxy's Business Partner "Big Roy" Anderson: "Damn, their ugly!"
• Sports Illustrated writer Edwin Shrake: "Armadillos are paranoid little beasts who prefer to mind their own business. They love to sleep all day, then roam and eat all night. They are gentle, keep their noses in the grass, and share their homes with others. Perhaps most significant, they are weird-looking, unfairly maligned, and often picked on."

Click "Armadillos Dancing" Cartoon to view Armadillos Birthday Cards!

Yep, Armadillos can be eaten. They've been barbecued and put in chili. But in order to do this safely, you have to find a live one. Eating Road Kill is ill advised. But they do make good subjects for T-Shirts, Greeting Cards and Christmas Cards.

Road Kill
John Patrick Mulligan's Recipe
Squashed things on the side of the road through much of the United States is probably an armadillo. Most of them can be seen along America's Highways because of the man's speeding vehicles traveling on them. This particular Road Kill also makes for some good eating as the recipe below illustrates.

ARMADILLO BBQ
1 armadillo
bacon grease
1 cup butter
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup grated onions
2 tbsp mustard
Tabasco to taste or use your favorite BBQ sauce

In a sauce pan combine the butter , ketchup, onion, mustard and Tabasco. Heat over low heat until the butter is melted. Stir occasionally. Rub bacon grease into the armadillo. Grill over a hot fire for 5 minutes. Reduce the fire by half. Baste the meat with the sauce until done. Armadillo is cooked a bit like pork. Serve and enjoy.

Hoover Hawgs
Armadillos were called "Hoover Hawgs" in the 1930's during the Great Depression and were eaten by a lot folks in the southwest and in South American countries. During this time they were introduced as an appetizer when food was scarce and hungry people found an abundance of the nocturnal animals lingering around the carrion on the side of the roads. It was only a matter of time before people started coming up with recipes like the one above. At the present time, armadillos aren't as popular a cuisine and not many if any restaurants serve them on their menus. However, some shops in China Town, San Francisco sell them as a gourmet food item.

Note: If any of you folks have a good Armadillo quote or story, truth or not, send it to us and if it meets with Caddylak Maxy's approval we may just put your quote or little story on this Armadillos page and make you Armadillos Famous by giving you the credit!

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