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The Armadillo Thread

Brighid45

Gone But Not Forgotten
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Jan 22, 2005
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Speaking of invaders, upon moving here it was a shock to discover armadillos in our yard, digging up the turf to find bugs. I knew they had populations in most of the southwestern states, but not this far north. Given a choice, I'll take armadillos over assassin bugs any day.
 
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Armadillos in Kansas ??? I thought they only lived in Texas !!! Oh well, at least you can sip a nice pint, watching through the window and waiting, then when they show up, it's croquet time !!! (Though you'll have to make yer own wickets, as they're rather larger then reg croquet balls ??!!)
 
No we have those here too. For some reason they like to crawl into a road and wait for a car. Then, instant ping-pong action. Destroys the bottom of a car but the armadillo walks away without a scratch
 
non-fort armadillos

We've got armadillos in central Georgia now, too. I remember seeing them down towards florida as a kid, but they're fairly recent here. Not really fortean, though.

Actually, have you ever really *looked* at an armadillo? Might be fortean after all! :D And, they're the only organism besides humans known to carry the leprosy virus. That's odd enough.

Haven't seen any scary bugs around here. Unless you count the swallow-sized mosquitos. :shock:
 
Perhaps some good Yank will post a Fortean armadillo story ???? Remarkable little creatures, from what I've read. Aren't they also a delicacy ?? Or am I making up something about Tex/Mex cooked armadillo ????
 
getting completely off track...

well, how's this for fotean: when the roll up into a ball (as a defensive posture) they jump about 12"-18" in the air. this accounts for the high death rate on US highways. Car scares armadillo in road, it jumps up and balls up in mid air - at perfect auto bumper height! If he's slow to react, you get the under auto ping pong mentioned earlier, but apparantly our cars in Georgia are more durable. I've never read or heard of damage done to the car.

Also, any time the animal has young, it has quadruplets.

Then there's the leprosy thing, which is why I've never heard of anyone eating one. I've heard them referred to as "opossums on the halfshell," but I think it's a humurous reference, not a culinary one.

I'll add, though, that some people in the south will eat ANYTHING.
 
Unfortunately the only thing I've ever seen our local armadillos do is root up turf to get at insects, but if I ever hear of or see a Flaming Armadillo of Death, I'll be the first to post about it here. ;)

*I'm done hijacking the thread now* :roll:
 
Brighid45 said:
Unfortunately the only thing I've ever seen our local armadillos do is root up turf to get at insects, but if I ever hear of or see a Flaming Armadillo of Death, I'll be the first to post about it here. ;)

*I'm done hijacking the thread now* :roll:

LOL! i was getting ready to do that with a rant about centipedes. i'll restrain myself. :D
 
As for armadillos in Kansas, unfortunately the only time i've seen them is dead on the side of the road. :( First time I saw one I was a little surprised.
 
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... About 3300 people in the United States need care for leprosy, also known as Hansen disease, which can damage nerves and the eyes, discolor skin, and cause disfigurement if untreated. Although antibiotics can clear the infection with Mycobacterium leprae, the causative bacterium, U.S. clinicians often have difficulty diagnosing this rare and confusing disease. As a result, patients sometimes do not receive proper diagnosis and care until they suffer from paralysis, blindness, clawed hands, and a collapsed nose.

... The United States has fewer than 200 new cases a year, the majority of which are locally acquired. Many are thought to occur because of transmission from armadillos, which live in southern states and are naturally infected with M. leprae. The exact route of transmission from armadillos to humans is not well understood, but it may have to do with coming in contact with the animals or with soil that’s contaminated with their feces or urine.

http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2018...ly_2018-04-02&et_rid=394299689&et_cid=1947428
 
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This thread conjured forth an image of this ...

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