I eased thru the forest, making each footstep silent and soft, I crept up on the creature that for hours had eluded me.  As I stalked him he teased me with a wicked game of cat and mouse, the little demon!  Sweaty, exhausted, scratched, bruised and starving I finally caught a glimpse!  There, in the bushes just around the bend, I see a flash of gray tail and a band of steel-colored armor, “I’ve got you now little beastie!” I think to myself triumphantly!

Okay, so all that it a total fabrication.  I happened to be out walking awhile back and saw a flash of grey dart across my path.  I quickened my step a few paces and saw this little dude.  Hello Mr. Nine-Banded Armadillo.

Our small state mammal is so cute, non-threatening and blind I can’t help but love it.  It shuffles about when not sleeping in its burrow, and it sleeps in its burrow about 16 hours a day.  Lucky mammal.

I find it odd they are both armored and hairy at the same time.  See the fuzz covering his back?  It also protrudes in thick tufts from his sides and underarms.  Quite unattractive really.

I got with-in 3 or 4 feet of the poor dear.  They can’t see well, I’m not sure why God bothered giving them eyeballs at all really.  He finally figured out something was creeping around kinda close to him and he stood up to check it out.

I suppose I was deemed non-threatening and he continued his hunt for dinner.

With his eyes closed.

So long little mammal!  And please, tell your friends to stop rooting up my yard already!