Armadillo Santa Ornament

Travelling up from South America, the nine-banded armadillo entered Texas from Mexico a little more than a century ago. Its Texas range in the 1870s was restricted to the Lower Rio Grande Valley, but twenty years later it could be found as far north as Austin. It continued to extend its range northward and eastward, finding living conditions in Louisiana to its liking. By the 1930s it had moved into Oklahoma and increased its population in Texas. If it were not for cold weather, this South American immigrant still might be travelling northward. However, a moderate climate is essential for its survival since the armadillo does not hibernate and cannot endure long periods of freezing weather. The armorlike shell that covers most of its well-muscled body provides a certain amount of protection, but it offers little insulation against the cold.