7.08.2023

armadillo story

 

It started like this. An armadillo, one of four identical quadruplets, jumped up as the headlights hit it. Apparently this is how the nocturnal animal responds—certainly judging by the Sunday morning roadkill here in the Ozarks. They have been here for decades, after migrating into Texas in the 1880s and heading north. Here is an INTERESTING ARTICLE about the effects of climate change on animal populations. Apparently the armadillo has appeared as far north as Chicago. 
     People here pretty much hate them for the wreckage their burrows create in gardens and yards.  Anyway, this one appeared in my yard, started to bloat and reek. I guess the buzzards finally did the cleanup, and now I am left with just the empty shell and the smell.


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