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I wanna go home with the Armadillo...


I wanna go home with the Armadillo...
Photo Information
Copyright: Angelina Deans (angybone) Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1047 W: 14 N: 2372] (7684)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2008-12-12
Categories: Mammals
Camera: OLYMPUS E-500, Olympus Zuiko 40-150 f3.5-5.6
Exposure: f/5.6, 1/160 seconds
More Photo Info: [view]
Photo Version: Original Version
Date Submitted: 2008-12-12 17:08
Viewed: 6431
Points: 42
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
Lyrics from London Homesick Blues:

I wanna go home with the armadillo.
Good country music from Amarillo and Abilene.
The friendliest people and the prettiest women
you've ever seen.

I took this photo just a few hours ago on my front porch. The armadillo was hiding under a chair from my dogs. I don't think the dogs could have hurt him/her but the poor little thing was quite shook up. So I wrangled up the canine monsters, and gave this little booger a chance to escape.

Some interesting "Fun Facts" from Flex.net:

Fun Facts

A distant counsin of the sloth and the anteater, the Nine-Banded Armadillo originated in South America. It immigrated to Texas by way of Mexico in the 19th. century. Its name comes from a Spanish word referring to its armor like covering. The shell is made of a bone like casing. In the Nine-Banded Armadillo (the only species of armadillo found in Texas), the armor consists of a large shield over the shoulders, a second large shield over the rump, and nine bands in the middle. Because the shell itself cannot grow nor be replaced as the armadillo grows, it is soft and leathery when the armadillo is born. It does not harden until the armadillo reaches its full adult size of 8 to 15 pounds.

While not as slow as the sloth, the armadillo rarely hurries. Walking on the soles of its back feet and the tips of its claws on its front feet, the armadillo ambles along at no more than a third of a mile per hour. However, the armadillo is able to run when danger threatens. Its hard shell allows it to run through thorny underbrush when fleeing predators.

The armadillo has a particularly interesting method for crossing water. Its heavy armor shell causes it to sink. When faced with a narrow stream or a water filled ditch, the armadillo will simply walk across the bottom, under water. However, when up against a wider body of water, the armadillo will swallow enough air to inflate its stomach to twice its normal size. This increased buoyancy then allows the armadillo to swim across. Afterwards, it takes the armadillo several hours to release all the excess air from its body.

Like its cousin the anteater, the armadillo loves to feast on ants. In fact, it's fond of all kinds of bugs, particularly larval and adult scarab beetles which will wreck havoc on gardens if not controlled. The armadillo has a keen sense of smell and can sniff out a tasty meal six inches underground. When digging for grubs, worms, and other goodies, it leaves behind three to four inch cone shaped holes. It regularly revisits these holes to gobble up any new bugs or snails which may have slipped in. Its sticky, barbed tongue aids it in picking up its food. The armadillo is also known to feed on carrion, with a distinct preference for the maggots it finds there. It has 30 to 32 teeth, all of them peg shaped molars.

The armadillo's shell provides insulation little insulation for its warm blooded body. In the summer, the armadillo does most of its foraging in the cool of the evening and at night. Like the pig, it also enjoys a nice cool mud bath. In the cooler winter months, the armadillo keeps warm in its burrow and does most of its foraging in the warmer hours of the afternoon.

Outside of the breeding season, adult armadillos generally live alone. A single armadillo may have up to 15 burrows (each eight inches in diameter and two to twenty five feet long) in its 10 acre range. Some burrows have several entrances for emergency access, but there is always a main entrance which the armadillo uses most of the time.

An armadillo always bears an identical set of quadruplets, conceived from a single fertilized egg. The initial embryo divides in two and those two embryos divide, in turn, into two more. Thus every armadillo is a clone of its three brothers or its three sisters.

The armadillo is the only animal, aside from humans, known to carry leprosy. For this reason it is illegal to sell a live armadillo in the State of Texas. Leprosy aside, the State of Texas has adopted the armadillo as its official state mammal.
CeltickRanger, eqshannon, bobair, JoseMiguel, maurydv, uleko, Alex99, eng55, pankajbajpai, oscarromulus, jconceicao, peter_stoeckl, marhowie, jmirah has marked this note useful
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Critiques [Translate]

hello Angelina

nice to see you agin among us in TN,
excellent shot of this amazing animal,
with fine POV and framing,
excellent sharpness and details, TFS

Asbed

And escape it did...hmmm. Wow...another image from the Angel of TN..And a super one..I know you could never resist posting this Angelina...Your too sharp...hey want some of my snow...?:-) Keep on posting when you think of it...I will keep on coming back to the bin..
Bob

Hi Angelina,
what a fascinating creature is this armadillo and reading your note it has a somewhat pig like look to it but only slightly so but I sure would like to see one wallowing in a mud hole like a pig,probably is a hoot to see.It sure has a leathery looking shell to it with an interesting texture to it that you show very well.A well focused photo that appears to be a little over exposed in places.Thanks for sharing this unusual creature with us.I have tried a workshop on this photo to see what I could do tame some of the bright areas,I hope you like the difference. Bob

Hello Angy,
How are you!!
What a great size posting of the armadillo!
good to see in closeness of it in great details
take care and my warmest regards
tony

Hi Angelina,
What an unexpected visitor!
The texture of the skin is really interesting, as well as the different layers which it have.
I like your low POV and the action moment caught.
Well done and thanks for share.
My best regards,
JM

Hi Angelina,
Harika bir çalışma olmuş,
Elinize sağlık Türkiye de olmayan bir tür ve çok şanslısınız.

Ciao Angelina,
bella immagine di armadillo catturato con ottima definizione in una buona composizione e bella prospettiva con POV basso.
TFS.
Maurizio

  • Great 
  • uleko Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3396 W: 172 N: 3310] (10940)
  • [2008-12-13 6:31]

Hello Angelina,
How fantastic to be able to capture an Armadillo. I'm glad the dogs didn't get it but I expect its shell would protect it!!
Excellent capture showing the interesting details of this ancient animal. Well done!!
TFS and best wishes, Ulla

  • Great 
  • Alex99 Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 4072 W: 133 N: 7096] (23735)
  • [2008-12-13 9:51]

Hi Angelina.
What a nice note for this cute animal. I have read it with great interest. Back POV is very attractive also as well as the framing of the scene. Superb DOF and details. Picture looks very dynamic. My greetings and TFS.
Alexei.

Hello Angelina

Congratulations on number 200.
I don't see many of these guys on TN,I remember seeing them on the roadside 30 years ago when I travelled in the south of the USA.
Excellent POV.
The details are sharp and the textures show well.
What an odd looking beast.
TFS

Wolf

  • Great 
  • eng55 Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1256 W: 42 N: 1976] (5892)
  • [2008-12-14 6:50]

Hi Angelina,
Excellent capture.I liked POV,framing,large DOF and details a lot.
Thanks for posting.

Hi Angelina,
This is an unusual animal to me. I like the texture of its skin a lot; it must be funny to touch. You captured nice details with good composition. Your notes are much interesting. TFS,
Claudine

  • Great 
  • joey Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1739 W: 224 N: 6872] (24909)
  • [2008-12-14 14:08]

Hi Angy,
great to see you again!
This is a fine capture of this Armadilo!
Very sharp with great detail.
Well exposed too.

Great work!

Cheers,
Joe

  • Great 
  • Mana Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1772 W: 36 N: 5597] (18598)
  • [2008-12-14 18:07]

Hi Angelina,
So happy to see you posting again and this is a wonderful shot of this great looking animal. Great details on its body and I particularly like those tiny ears. Very neat and sharp image with perfect handling of lighting. Excellent composition.
TFS.
Sumon

hello angelina,
nice to see you after a long break, this animal looks interesting, specially the scales and texture of the skin, good explanatory notes,
tfs & regards
pankaj

Great notes, Angelina.
Thanks for sharing this incident.
Mario from VERY VERY COLD Calgary.

Hello Angelina,

Great capture.
Beautiful colours with fantastic details.
Lighting and composition are excellent.
Good notes.

Hi Angelina,
exciting notes coming with this charming documentary snapshot of a rare wildlife encounter that you have been happy to see at your front door.
Thank you! With all my best wishes to you for a Happy New Year!
Peter

P.S.: My congratulations to you for your posting #200!

Hi Angelina,
Good shot of this armadillo, he's ready to beat a hasty retreat from the looks of it..
I'm sure he appreciated your wrangling up the "canine monsters" :)
I've got a shot here in CT a few years ago, rare to see them in the daytime I quess.
TFS!
Howard

Hi Ange
Great POV...Like "the look" it is giving you..."Hey Lady, What the heck ya doin following me?!?!?!..."...TFS
Jim

Hello Angelina,

This is a fellow with original looks and well protected against unwanted attention hehehe..!
I notice the fine pattern and nice ears...
I like the pose as it is like he is looking over the shoulder and smiling at the photographer!

Greetings,
Pablo -

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