ANIMAL SPOTLIGHT: THE 9-BANDED ARMADILLO

A distant counsin of the sloth and the anteater, the Nine-Banded Armadillo originated in South America. It immigrated to Texas by way of Mexico in the 19th. century. Its name comes from a Spanish word referring to its armor like covering. The shell is made of a bone like casing. In the Nine-Banded Armadillo (the only species of armadillo found in Texas), the armor consists of a large shield over the shoulders, a second large shield over the rump, and nine bands in the middle. Because the shell itself cannot grow nor be replaced as the armadillo grows, it is soft and leathery when the armadillo is born. It does not harden until the armadillo reaches its full adult size of 8 to 15 pounds.While not as slow as the sloth, the armadillo rarely hurries. Walking on the soles of its back feet and the tips of its claws on its front feet, the armadillo ambles along at no more than a third of a mile per hour. However, the armadillo is able to run when danger threatens. Its hard shell allows it to run through thorny underbrush when fleeing predators. The armadillo has a particularly interesting method for crossing water. Its heavy armor shell causes it to sink. When faced with a narrow stream or a water filled ditch, the armadillo will simply walk across the bottom, under water. However, when up against a wider body of water, the armadillo will swallow enough air to inflate its stomach to twice its normal size. This increased buoyancy then allows the armadillo to swim across. Afterwards, it takes the armadillo several hours to release all the excess air from its body. Like its cousin the anteater, the armadillo loves to feast on ants. In fact, it's fond of all kinds of bugs, particularly larval and adult scarab beetles which will wreck havoc on gardens if not controlled.