One of our beloved state animals in Texas is the armadillo, which means “little armored one” in Spanish. You might spot their bony shells first, which look similar to armor. These shells help ward off predators, while they use their claws to forage for food and dig burrows. These nine-banded armadillos are the only species that call the U.S. home, and can be spotted all across Texas.
How They Forage For Food
Nine-banded armadillos enjoy eating beetles, cockroaches, fire ants, spiders, snails, and more. They have hardly any hair to regulate their body temperatures, so they can get extra hot. For example, last summer, armadillos were rushing to the beach to cool off from the record high temperatures. When they’re hunting for food, they make a lot of noise and scare easily. If they’re approached unexpectedly, they usually leap straight up in the air. They leap so high that their bodies can hit the undercarriage of car vehicles, making them extra vulnerable to road accidents. So be careful out there!
Walking Under Water
Nine-banded armadillos thrive in warm, wet climates. They have their own unique ways of navigating water because their armored body makes them sink easily. They can hold their breath for up to six minutes and walk along the bottom of streams or ditches. Armadillos can also swallow air to inflate their stomachs to twice their normal size, allowing them to swim across bodies of water.
