I love armadillos. There are about 20 different species of them in the world. The most common here in the US is the nine-banded armadillo. I photographed this one on Merritt Island on the east coast of Florida. Nine-banded armadillos also happen to be the most far ranging species of armadillo in the world, with populations as far north as Nebraska and as far south as Uruguay. Nikon D700 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 22mm) ISO 800, f/3.2 at 1/500th of a second
Armadillos remind me of possums with a shell. I don’t know why except that I saw lots of squashed ones in Texas by the side of the roads. Do you know if they are smart animals? Possums seem disturbingly dumb. I could be wrong here and not realize that the one that I actually trod on taking the garbage out one night while it played dead, was perhaps doing physics calculations and got preoccupied and let me step on it with my bag of garbage in tow. Oh, heavens did that feel gross! Armadillos are very cool and I am always amazed how all these creatures seem so PLANNED, their unique features so perfectly adapted for the environments they live in. Armadillos look strange, part of their appeal in my opinion.
Thanks for the picture. It was fun to see one after so many years. Are they marsupials ? Just curious …
Hi Melissa,
Unfortunately, armadillos have a natural reaction to jump several feet into the air when startled. Due to this, they are often victims of roadkill by hitting the underside of passing cars. Their main defense, however, is their outer shell so they will often curl up and remain motionless, hoping that any would-be predators will pass on. So not sure I’d say they are dumb, it is just their evolutionary defense mechanism to sit quietly until danger passes by. They have extremely poor eyesight, and rely instead on a very good sense of smell. They are not marsupials and usually give birth to identical quadruplets. I’ve only photographed the nine banded armadillos but am hopeful to come across a few more species soon.
We have lots of them in Riverwood in South-West Florida however we consider them pests tearing up.our lawns & digging holes under shrubs looking for insects,
Maybe we should look at them a little kinder!
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I love armadillos. There are about 20 different species of them in the world. The most common here in the US is the nine-banded armadillo. I photographed this one on Merritt Island on the east coast of Florida. Nine-banded armadillos also happen to be the most far ranging species of armadillo in the world, with populations as far north as Nebraska and as far south as Uruguay.
Armadillos remind me of possums with a shell. I don’t know why except that I saw lots of squashed ones in Texas by the side of the roads. Do you know if they are smart animals? Possums seem disturbingly dumb. I could be wrong here and not realize that the one that I actually trod on taking the garbage out one night while it played dead, was perhaps doing physics calculations and got preoccupied and let me step on it with my bag of garbage in tow. Oh, heavens did that feel gross! Armadillos are very cool and I am always amazed how all these creatures seem so PLANNED, their unique features so perfectly adapted for the environments they live in. Armadillos look strange, part of their appeal in my opinion.
Thanks for the picture. It was fun to see one after so many years. Are they marsupials ? Just curious …
Hi Melissa,
Unfortunately, armadillos have a natural reaction to jump several feet into the air when startled. Due to this, they are often victims of roadkill by hitting the underside of passing cars. Their main defense, however, is their outer shell so they will often curl up and remain motionless, hoping that any would-be predators will pass on. So not sure I’d say they are dumb, it is just their evolutionary defense mechanism to sit quietly until danger passes by. They have extremely poor eyesight, and rely instead on a very good sense of smell. They are not marsupials and usually give birth to identical quadruplets. I’ve only photographed the nine banded armadillos but am hopeful to come across a few more species soon.
Skin of bark rooted
Toes tree silent and firm the earth
Narrow eye regards .
I like it!
They look prehistoric. Are they called nine-banded because of the rings that go around their middle? I counted and it looks like there are nine.
Yes, exactly — nine bands around the mid section.
We have lots of them in Riverwood in South-West Florida however we consider them pests tearing up.our lawns & digging holes under shrubs looking for insects,
Maybe we should look at them a little kinder!
Aunt Sue
Such a totally crazy looking animal!!!
down south they are main source of meat for the people to eat, they say it taste like chicken ?