I love taking photographs of unique textures. I found this one in the garden last week. Don't you just love the funky shapes and patterns? It just makes me want to reach down and touch it... Any idea what it is? I'll give you a hint... These belong to the superorder Xenarthra, along with sloths and anteaters. Their name, in Spanish, literally translates to "armored one."
If you said Armadillo, you're right! They're very unique, interesting creatures that I absolutely love to watch. We have lots of 'em on the ranch, and it's becoming on of my favorite pass times to stalk and 'shoot' them. Don't worry, I don't use bullets, just my super-telephoto lens. Fortunately for me, they've got horrible eyesight, so even a klutz like me can sneak up pretty close. Check out that old-man gotee under his chin. All he needs is a set of wire-rimmed glasses...
According to my new favorite source, Wikipedia, "The North American Nine-banded Armadillo tends to jump straight in the air when surprised, and consequently often collides with the undercarriage or fenders of passing vehicles." I've noticed this behavior on occasion when I'm out loping my horses across the pasture. When a Nine-banded Armadillo pops out of the grass in front of a colt, often the horse will imitate the action, occasionally causing it's rider to collide with trees, powerlines, or low-flying birds.
According to Wikipedia, armadillos "have the ability to remain underwater for as long as six minutes. Because of the density of its armor, an armadillo will sink in water unless it inflates its stomach and intestines with air, which often doubles its size and allows it to swim across narrow bodies of water." How cool is that!
OK ~ that's it for today's science lesson. Next week we'll delve into a different area of ranch education. Should we cover Truck Ropin with Cowboy Jim or 'Possum CPR with my lovely assistant Amber?
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