Armadillos , thestate animalof Texas , are weird creature . They are unmanageable to trap , spit like baseball players , and jumpstart flat into traffic . We celebrated the oddness of these nocturnal animalsearlier this summer , but we could n’t refuse shelling out a few more titbit . Here are eight thing you might not know about the armored fauna :
1. THEY ARE MAMMALS.
Armadillos are the only know mammal thatsport shells .
2. THEY ARE THE ONLY ANIMALS THAT CARRY LEPROSY.
3. THEY OFTEN GET HIT BY CARS.
Armadillos have an unfortunate habit of jump straight up into the air when they get startled , Wile E. Coyote - trend . The animals are small enough to pass safely under a car , but when scared they jump flat up into the undercarriage , according to theNational Wildlife Federation .
4. THEY HAVE BEEN CALLED “THE POOR MAN’S PORK.”
During the Great Depression , Texans dined on armadillo meat , calling it the “ pitiable human ’s pork , ” or for depreciator of Depression - era president Herbert Hoover , the “ Hoover hog . ”
5. THEY SMELL.
Look at how weird and cute the pink fairy armadillo is . Image Credit : Pat McGrath viaFlickr//CC BY 2.0
TheTexas Parks and Wildlife Departmentcautions that eat armadillo is n’t for the deliquium of heart : “ Older male person middling reek , and few multitude who slaughter one can stand to eat the meat . ” When an armadillo stimulate excited , odour secreter near its butt beginning working overtime , making the smelly animals even more pungent .
6. THE AZTECS CALLED THEM TURTLE RABBITS.
In Nahuatl , the Aztec speech , armadillos are call ayotoch , a name that translate to “ capsize hare . ” ( The name we expend in English come from the Spanish for “ little armoured one . ” )
7. THEY’RE INSPIRATIONAL FIGURES.
In Oklahoma , motivational verbaliser and founding father of thePut On Your Armorfoundation , Armadillo Jim , has been traveling with " Arnie Armadillo " to promoteschool safety , pick up with grief , and other issues since 1981 . " small fry can interrelate to an animal that is misunderstood and looks weird , " the loudspeaker toldThe Oklahomanof using armadillos to help kid with Cancer the Crab . He also runs armadillo races .
8. THEIR SHELLS ARE TOUGH.
Several people have been offend endeavor to stamp out armadillos . Armadillo shells are hard enough to cause a slug to carom , which has result inseveral casesof bystander injury when people attempt to tear the fauna . Most animal mastery organizations recommendtrappingand removing the brute from a yard , since repelling or bolt down them is normally ineffective ( if not grave ) .
