Armadillos

http://mdc.mo.gov The name "armadillo" is Spanish for "little armored one". The nine-banded armadillo first arrived in Texas in the mid-1800s, but didn't stop its northward invasion there. By the 1980s, armadillos were becoming familiar sights as far north as southern Missouri. Cold winter weather will eventually stop the northward invasion of the armadillo, but how far north the "little armored one" will go--only time will tell. Unfortunately for the armadillos, most sightings involve dead animals on the road. Armadillos have a habit of jumping straight up when frightened--and so are often killed by leaping into vehicles which might have otherwise passed over them safely. Road-killed armadillos are such common sights they have earned the nickname "Texas speed bumps."