Question: Why did the chicken cross the road? Answer: to show an armadillo it was possible. The name “armadillo” is Spanish for “little armored one,” and accurately depicts one of North America’s oddest looking creatures.
Various kinds of armadillos are found in the warm climates of Central and South America. But one species has made a home in the southern half of the United States. The nine-banded armadillo first arrived in Texas in the mid-1800s, but it didn’t stop its northward invasion there. By the 1980s, armadillos were becoming familiar sights as far north as southern Missouri and southeast Kansas.
Unfortunately for the armadillos, most sightings involve dead animals lying on the road. Armadillos have a habit of jumping straight up when frightened–and so are often killed by leaping into vehicles. Road-killed armadillos are such common sights that they have earned the nickname “Texas speed bumps.”
Armadillos have poor eyesight but good hearing and an excellent sense of smell, which they use to locate prey such as earthworms, ants and grubs. Strong claws on their front feet make them excellent burrowers.
Cold winter weather will eventually stop the northward invasion of the armadillo, but how far north the “little armored one” will go–only time will tell.
Nine Facts About the Nine-Banded Armadillo
- The nine-banded armadillo gets its name from the nine narrow bands in its midsection, which give it flexibility.
- They are closely related to anteaters and sloths.
- Armadillos are the size of an extra-large house cat.
- They can sniff out insects underground up to six inches.
- Their sharp claws dig to expose food, which is flicked into the mouth with the long sticky tongue.
- Armadillos are nocturnal in the summer, but shift to daytime or evening in the winter.
- To cross ponds and creeks, they swallow air to inflate their stomach and intestines in order to become buoyant. They then paddle the surface.
- Or, they sink to the bottom and stroll across, taking a breath when they resurface.
- Armadillos are the only living mammals to wear shells.
For more on armadillos, visit the MDC’s Field Guide.
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