Sabre52
Cave Dweller
Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,487
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Post by Sabre52 on Jan 29, 2009 17:34:47 GMT -5
Howdy folks, Well, as most of you know, being a California native recently moved to Texas, I just love some of the unusual critters we have here. I know some folks see them as a pain in the patoot because of all their digging, but I just love armadillos. Unusual critters, kind of a cross betwixt a mole and a rock, and believe me, it's as hard to photograph one with it's head out of the ground as it is to find a politician that's not telling a lie. Anyway, last few days. I've staked out some armadillo territories and today I finally had a little luck. So here are a few pics. Thanks for looking ....Mel The quarry sighted: Armadillo doing what they do, noising around for bugs in the leaves: Note the fuzzy legs: Finally, gotcha with yore head above the dirt, ya rascal!
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Post by frane on Jan 29, 2009 18:41:41 GMT -5
Oh Mel! These are excellent photos! I miss seeing armadillos, especially live ones! (not the road kill variety). They are really neat little critters and the hair on the legs and back area always amaze me. Thank you for sharing these! Fran
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Post by stonesthatrock on Jan 29, 2009 19:57:24 GMT -5
how cool..... those pics are wonderful. I never knew they had cute fuzzy legs. in cali, we had those sowbugs ( rolly polly bugs i call them) that looked like mini armadilloras.
ralph and mary ann
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Member since January 1970
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Jan 29, 2009 20:01:16 GMT -5
Awwww thank you Mel!!! I love armadillos! The babies are especially cute.
Shannon
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SteveHolmes
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since July 2009
Posts: 1,900
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Post by SteveHolmes on Jan 29, 2009 20:03:53 GMT -5
Great Photos Mel! I gotta say...those things are freakin UGLY...but just a little bit cute. At least the fuzzy legs and little ears. ;D The only ones I've ever seen are the Road Kill variety. Lots of em' when you head down towards Texas. Steve
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Post by Bikerrandy on Jan 30, 2009 9:33:13 GMT -5
Me and my buddies used to catch those with a bass net when we were growing up down in Orlando, they were easy to sneak up on. We turned loose three of them in my best friends back yard and they dug a thousand holes.... his mom was p!ssed!! ;D
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Saskrock
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since October 2007
Posts: 1,852
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Post by Saskrock on Jan 30, 2009 11:20:12 GMT -5
Neat wildlife you have there. They are kind of cute.
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Post by mohs on Jan 30, 2009 11:38:27 GMT -5
Great pictures and much patience can you train them to to dig for rocks?
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Post by NatureNut on Jan 30, 2009 11:43:45 GMT -5
Wow Mel, I've never seen close up pics of them like that! Thanks! They sure do look armor-plated, don't they? Jo
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karenfh
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since November 2006
Posts: 1,495
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Post by karenfh on Jan 31, 2009 1:32:26 GMT -5
Awesome pix! How fun! I've never seen the 'live' version, but our possums look kinda close. We did have one, here in NE, as roadkill on our main street. That mystery has puzzled many for years, it made the paper back then! Best guess was that it hitched a ride on a truck.
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Post by Condor on Jan 31, 2009 12:50:14 GMT -5
Aw man! Way to go on getting those shots Mel. Looks like you're have fun out here in Texas.
Condor
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Post by llana2go on Jan 31, 2009 19:26:36 GMT -5
Yeah, those suckers are cute til you walk out the front door one morning and they have dug up your yard.
I worked with a gal that had a purse made of an armadillo. We had such fun when we went for a beer after work. She set her purse on the bar and people would freak out. We even got kicked out of a couple of places because they thought it was alive. We'd laugh til we hurt!
That was one ugly purse! She even named it. I tell ya', going bar hopping with her and her purse was a hoot. ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
llana
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Sabre52
Cave Dweller
Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,487
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Post by Sabre52 on Jan 31, 2009 20:02:03 GMT -5
Llana: Animals do what they're hardwired to do to survive. Armadillos dig to eat. It's what they do. It's their world too and as far as I'm concerned, when we settle in their territory and make fancy gardens well, they got a right to live too. They're the natives and we're the destructive introduced species *L*. One thing I'm encountering in Texas that I don't particularly like is the awful disregard for wildlife that lots of Texans seem to possess. Most of them are afraid of snakes, bugs etc and are not smart enough to tell poison things from non poisonous so they just kill everything. Friggin wimps! I personally think a little more tolerance for our fellow earthly inhabitants is called for but then that's just me and my background in wildlife rescue. I'll admit I like animals better than most people. I just know that for each species we kill off because it bothers us in some way, life becomes a little less interesting and we, as a species, die a little ourselves. If an armadillo digs a hole, think of it as a chance for a little exercise in the yard and get up and fill the hole back in *L*. And, killing them for a stupid looking purse. Jeez! How screwed up is that?.....Mel
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JEFFD
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since December 2004
Posts: 242
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Post by JEFFD on Jan 31, 2009 21:03:59 GMT -5
We have an armadillo living under a shed in the yard. digs up the yard every warm day looking for grubs and bugs. I belive it is doing good things for the yard cause the grass always grows back even thicker where he dug it up.
They have poor vision so you can walk up close to them. I saw at least 20 out today, have never took a picture of one as I take them for granted.
Cool pictures you took.
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Post by sitnwrap on Jan 31, 2009 21:13:32 GMT -5
Mel, I love these pics. I think they are adorable and that face is sooo neat. Would love to pat one just to see what they feel like. I bet it is awesome.
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Post by parfive on Jan 31, 2009 23:55:36 GMT -5
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Sabre52
Cave Dweller
Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,487
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Post by Sabre52 on Feb 1, 2009 8:07:05 GMT -5
Boy Rich, you ain't kidding! A few years ago when I was back here folks were having trouble with an African Lion. Problem with all the exotics is keeping them caged *S* Never can tell what will hop over the ranch fences..Mel
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Post by llana2go on Feb 1, 2009 8:56:02 GMT -5
Mel, I agree with ya' about critters. I try not to kill anything. Have almost had numerous wrecks avoiding some critter in the road. I work on several hunting ranches and I really HATE the hunters that kill just for the rack. I've had armadillos dig up my flowerbeds and it aggravates the daylights out of me, but figure that's their job, so just get out and fix what they messed up. And, if it's not the armadillos digging stuff up, it's the deer eating it. But, that's what comes with living in the country. Rattlesnakes don't bother me, but those water moccasins scare the crap outta me! Nasty critters and very aggressive. Yeah, I couldn't believe someone would have a purse made from an armadillo, but we sure had some fun with it. I'm with you. I much prefer animals to most people! Rockhounds excluded, of course!
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Sabre52
Cave Dweller
Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,487
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Post by Sabre52 on Feb 1, 2009 16:29:48 GMT -5
Very cool Llana: My dad was a taxidermist and I'm with you on the hunters. Don't mind folks hunting for what they eat but not crazy about trophy hunters. Your comment on water moccasins was interesting. I went to a wonderful snake presentation at the wildlife center in Fredericksburg a few weeks ago and the herpetologist said there has never been a water moccasin report confirmed in Gillespie or Kerr counties and I'd of thought they were pretty common here. I guess most the folks that say the see them are seeing the big Diamondback Watersnake which is non poisonous ( though all watersnakes are foul tempered). Bad news for the watersnakes because they usually get killed *sigh*. I'd think further east though around San Saba and Llano counties where it's wetter they'd be more common though. I do know I used to collect snakes in Oklahoma where the farmers said water moccasins were all over and out of all the snakes I caught, I caught one moccasin and all the rest were watersnake varieties. It was interesting that the speaker said coral snakes are very common here in the hill country though seldom encountered. I'm gonna watch where I put my fingers when out hunting rocks for sure.....Mel
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Post by llana2go on Feb 1, 2009 18:57:09 GMT -5
Mel, ya'll might not have water moccasins over there, but we sure got 'em over here.
A friend of mine has killed two or three at her place and I've seen several when I have been there. Another friend of mine found one under her son's bed and another one in the tree in her front yard. I've also seen several in the pond on a ranch were I work.
I used to date a guy that had a ranch in Oklahoma. We were out in a row boat on one of the ponds one day and he said "Don't turn around, don't move, don't scream." Yeah, like I'm really not going to turn around and look! So, I turned around slowly and nearly jumped out of my skin. In and under a willow tree on the bank maybe 15 feet from us there was a huge swarm of water moccasins. The water was just teeming with them and they were hanging out of the tree. Scared the dickens out of both of us and believe me, neither of us scared easily! It was the scariest thing I have even seen. Still makes my skin crawl just thinking about it.
I've never seen a live coral snake, but I know we do have them around here. Haven't even seen a rattlesnake in ages. My next door neighbor was bitten by one summer before last. She never saw it either.
llana
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