I ran inside and grabbed the kids and my camera. A Nine-banded armadillo! These little creatures are so funny. They're like a rodent in reptilian armor. They can't see or hear or smell very well, so its easy to get really close to them. With such a lack of awareness of the world around them, I don't know how they really survive. Now we finally knew what had been making those mysterious holes in the garden and on the crushed granite pathways. They are insectivores, but I'm sure this cutie was also the animal that gnawed on a few of my cabbages this spring.
Oh, hello! Didn't see you standing there! He sniffed with his funny little cone of a nose and twitched his velvety ears, then loped off to hide behind the air conditioner. Anna and Colin were very excited. I hope he avoids the local dogs, cars, and teenaged boys so we can see him again.
9 comments:
They are amazingly slow creatures and so funny to look at! They jump straight up in the air when you startle them too. Pretty funny. Glad you all got to see one!
Come to think of it...I did not hear that song at the last family reunion...Dulce was off her game and didn't ask for it...I'll be sure to make my request next time :-)
How cool! Glad you all got to see him...her? How do you know if it's male or female?
They are adorable, aren't they? My grandparents (in rural East Texas) used to have a German Shepard who loved to hunt them down and crunch them up. Sad, no? He apparently learned this skill from his mother, whose teeth were worn down to little nubbins.
Every time I see an armadillo, I remember the lecture I attended in microbiology as an undergrad where the professor discussed the fact that armadillos can carry Mycobacterium leprae. Which explains my an unnatural fear of touching armadillos!
They are cute, though!
How cool! I've never seen one in person before.
I've never seen one of these that wasn't roadkill. Very cool!
Cool photo! We have an Opossum that has been hanging out at our house. He/she has been star mapping with me quite a few nights this week.
I loved to see the armadillo, mommy!
It was so cool to see him!
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