Armadillo Skills

"Don't hate me, I have skills."



There is just something appealing to me about any animal that comes with its own motor home on its back, causing me to have great affection for turtles, roly poly's, and armadillos. Due to the cold winters in upstate SC, the only time I managed to see an armadillo in the wild was on a visit to Florida when my uncle's dogs were engaged in an armadillo round-up one night. But the armadillo is broadening its horizons and he has rumbled his way to parts of South Carolina. Whenever I drive to Charleston, there is a swampy area on I-26 where there is almost always an armadillo casualty on the side of the road. I always perk up at "Armadillo Swamp" with mixed feelings of excitement at a sighting combined with sadness for the demise of this "little armored one." I think there is a lack of respect for this animal who ranks around the same area on the animal respect scale as the lowly possum. It seems we like to demean any creature that becomes an easy victim of our automobiles....make it their fault. But don't be so flippant if you do run over the nine banded armadillo, because I have discovered that this is a little mammal with skills.

For example, their proliferation (in spite of the automobile) is partly due to their ability to practice delayed implantation of their fertilized eggs, timing their babies births at favorable environmental conditions. They are also one of the few animals to exhibit Polyembryony-the single fertilized egg always divides to produce four genetically identical offspring.

When startled, the nine banded armadillo can leap straight up in the air, sometimes three or four feet in the air, as a defense mechanism. That would be like a human jumping 20 feet into the air. Well no wonder they fall victim to automobiles...the headlights keep them busy jumping. I'm surprised they don't end up coming through windshields.

The armadillo has two water skills. Since their armor makes them heavy, they will sink of course. That's no problem though because they can hold their breath for about 6 minutes giving them time to casually walk across the bottom of small bodies of water. If the water is too wide for the six minute skill, they have the ability to inflate air into their body enabling them to float for long distances.

The armadillo shell has many uses... such as a back for the Charango (an Andean lute), baskets, wine holders, and the stylish pocketbook seen above.

When I read that they could be housebroken, I felt the familiar urge to try to capture one, but remembered they also have the rare ability to carry leprosy. It seems they have the skill to lower their body temperature to adapt to long periods without much nourishment, making their warm bloodied bodies the same cooler temperature as human skin.

So, let's quit dismissing this animal, giving him our human diseases, and casually running him down with our automobiles. Don't become hardened like a Texan, be mindful that he is an animal with skills.