Texas Wildlife Association presents....
December 2010 Kid’s Quarterly Mini-Mag! Vol. 4 No. 4
¡ ¢ £ ¤ £ ¥ ¢ ¦ £ § § £ ¤ ¨ Postcards from Nancy... Hello there, TWA!
I am gearing up to participate in my first ever Iron-Dillo competition! It is being held at the end of the month in Kerrville, Texas, so Grant and I are staying close by with my good friend, Rachel Atkins in Fredericksburg. Rachel is great at 3rd grade science, knows some karate and thought she might be able to help me train! I have been practicing like crazy for the three Iron-Dillo events which include swimming, extreme digging and vertical jumping. Those are the three things that armadillos are best at doing. Armadillos from all over the state will be there competing, and I’m hoping to bring home a medal! So far, my best event seems to be swimming. A lot of people don’t know this but armadillos can swim two different ways. We can jump into and Cuda will hide and then when I go out looking for them, the water, sink to the bottom, and walk across using our Cuda will scamper out to scare me and Rachel will measure claws to help us hold on to the ground underwater. We can how high I jump. So far, my best jump was 3.3 feet. It’s not also take a deep breath before we jump in and swallow the bad but I’m hoping to break 4 feet by Iron-Dillo day. air in a way that allows us to inflate our stomachs and parts of I still have a lot of work to do with my digging. I can dig our intestines like little rafts. Then, we can just float across the for grubs all day and I can excavate a super nice burrow, surface of the water. I like to float! It makes me feel like a but I like to take my time while I do it. Iron-Dillo is all about balloon and since I can’t fly, it’s the next best thing! the need for speed, and I get frantic when I try to dig fast. Jumping is probably my second best event. Armadillos ...go to page 7 to !nish reading this great story!
are known for their vertical leap—that means
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jumping straight up in the air. When an armadillo
becomes scared, they can jump between 3 and 4
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! " feet straight into the air. This is actually a defense mechanism because when a predator sees us jump like that, it freaks them out a little and gives us a chance to escape. Rachel and her dog Cuda have been helping me practice my jumps. She
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To participate in the Texas Youth Hunting Program, you must ...
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To hunt with TYHP, youth must ...
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Armadillo Fun Fact!
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ 15 11
To solve this Armadillo Fun Fact, you must match the numbers to certain letters. Two letters have already been given. Hint: This Fun Fact may be found in the story on pages 4 and 5!
______I ______- ______DD ______20 21 16 7 11 7 16 17 12 7 15 16 15
______DI ______word searches...... word 12 18 1 12 15 11 2 2 22
___I ______’ ______11 6 20 16 25 12 6 6 20 12 20 16
______. 6 1 12 2 2 1 12 1 1 12 2 Photo courtesy of Wyman Meinzer
Distance Learning Program
ASI: Animal Skull Investigation Let’s Talk Turkey Texas Critters More Than a Drop: Aquifers Uncovered BATS: LIVE on the BIG Screen
Programs listed above, in addition to special programs, may be added throughout the semester. Check the websites below for additional program offerings.
To learn more information about Discovery Trunks (availability and shipping) or Distance Learning, visit the TWA website, www.texas-wildlife.org. To see our schedule, or sign up for Distance Learning visit Connect2Texas, www.connect2texas.net.
For questions or scheduling, please contact: Brought to you by: Kassi Scheffer Sponsored by: Education Programs Assistant 210-826-2904 ext 113 [email protected]
3 corner Photo courtesy of Wyman Meinzer It is easy to see where the Nine-banded Photo of armadillo bands and chicken eggs, not too far, they will swim across. On other occasions, ArmArmadillo got its name – from the nine bands by Russell Graves and they probably do the armadillo may walk across the bottom of the Proud Symbol whiwhich protect its body. The “armor” is actually occoccasionally destroy creek. If the distance is great, the armadillo can ingest a bbony carapace (rhymes with ‘anyplace’), somsome nests, but eggs air, inflate themselves, and whiwhich is a shield similar to a turtle or crab. The are not a large part of float across. Scientists are not of Te *as carcarapace is covered with scutes (pronounced thetheir diet. sure how they know what to ‘sc‘scoot’), which are composed of bone with a Unlike most do when they come across a c covcovering of horn. mammammals, armadillos creek or river. Many people think armadillos roll do not have a lot of Although they have large thethemselves up into a ball to protect itself from haihair covering their eyes, they do not have good prepredators, but the fact is that only the Three- bodbody nor do they have eyesight. Their sense of smell banbanded Armadillo from Brazil can actually a llot of body fat, so is very good. They are able do that – a pretty cool adaptation. thethey are susceptible to to smell worms up to 8 inches r The Nine-banded armadillo is protected temtemperature changes. underground! frofrom predators by its armor, but it usually will To keep more heat in Armadillos may be jusjust run away when frightened. Its armor can thetheir bodies, they have hunted on private property proprotect it when it is running into thick brush. an adaptation which throughout the year, but you UnfUnfortunately, the Nine-banded Armadillo allallows cold blood must have a hunting license. By Helen Holdsworth Photo courtesy of has the tendency to jump when startled. This may comcoming in through the Possession or sale of live Wyman Meinzer explain why you see dead armadillos on the side of veins to cool the hot armadillos is restricted. i The Nine-banded armadillo is one of our state’s the highway. If startled by a car, they may jump and blood going out through the arteries. This system of Texas is fortunate to have most well known symbols. In fact, it was named Texas’ can be hit by the fender of the car. veins and arteries in their legs is called reta mirabila, such an interesting animal state small mammal in 1995, but they are not limited Baby armadillos are called pups. When Nine- which is Latin for ‘miraculous net.’ as its state small mammal. Be on the lookout for to just Texas. Their range covers from Florida up to banded armadillos are born, they always have brothers Armadillos spend most of their time foraging for the Nine-banded Armadillo as you travel across the South Carolina, north to Kansas and southern Nebraska or sisters. The Nine-banded armadillo is unique in that food. They are extremely good diggers, with strong different ecosystems of Texas. You are bound to see and west to parts of New Mexico. In recent years, they the female always gives birth to four (4) identical claws on both the front and back feet. Depending them anywhere! t have appeared as far north as Indiana and Illinois. In babies. Generally, babies are born in March, and they on the soil type, they will dig a simple den or burrow. Texas, they live all over the place except for far west are fully formed with their eyes open. Young will nurse Armadillos do not hibernate. Texas. They are, though, the only for less than two (2) months, but Another very unique adaptation of armadillos is armadillo in the United States. Photo of armadillo scutes may stay with the mother until they their ability to cross creeks and rivers. If the distance is There are about 20 different by Russell Graves are several months old. When born, species of armadillo. All of them the shell is soft, similar to a human are native to the Americas, with finfingernail, and as the animal grows, t the majority of them found in South bonbone is deposited under the skin to America. The word ‘armadillo’ is makmake a solid shell. Spanish for “little armored one.” Armadillos are insectivores, The largest species is called the whiwhich mean they eat primarily Giant Armadillo (weighs up to insinsects and other invertebrates. 130 pounds) and the smallest is TheThey have a long sticky tongue. e the Pink Fairy Armadillo, which is TheTheir teeth are unusual also. They only 5 – 6 inches long! Armadillos are called ‘pegs’ and look square. Photo courtesy of Wyman Meinzer are in the same scientific family as FavFavorite foods include grubs, ant eaters and sloths. worworms, beetles, termites, ants, and Nine-banded Armadillos catcaterpillars. Reptiles, amphibians, are mammals. They average and berries are occasionally eaten. Sources: about 12-17 pounds and are CarCarrion, or dead animals, are http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/huntwild/wild/species/dillo/ r approximately 2.5 feet long. alsalso eaten upon, as much for the http://207.200.58.4/handbook/online/articles/AA/tca2.html Males are generally larger than magmaggots and fly pupae as anything http://www.nsrl.ttu.edu/tmot1/dasynove.htm females. elselse. Armadillos have also been Photo courtesy of Wyman Meinzer http://focusonnature.com/SouthAmericaMammalList.htm accaccused of eating quail, turkey, https://www.msu.edu/~nixonjos/armadillo/facts.html Did you know that...
...armadillos have an adaptation which helps them conserve energy? It is called reta mirabila (Latin for ‘miraculous net’), which is a system of veins and arteries in their legs. Hot blood going out through arteries is cooled by cold blood coming in through the veins and vice versa. This means that not much heat goes into the legs, keeping it in the body.
...Nine-banded Armadillos growl when attacked or threatened? The screaming hairy armadillo of South America lets out a loud squeal, which is how it got its name.
...armadillos are sometimes used to study leprosy? Their body temperature is very low (30-35 degrees Fahrenheit) and the bacteria which causes leprosy needs cold temperatures to grow.
...although they have large eyes, armadillos do not have good eyesight? Their sense of smell is very good. They are able to smell worms up to 8 inches underground!
...during the Great Depression of the 1930’s, armadillos were commonly called “Hoover hogs” by people angry with then-President Herbert Hoover’s broken promise of a chicken in every pot? Photo courtesy of Russell Graves
Please try this with a Dillo Craft pencil and eraser. #1
1. Draw a circle with a pencil. Divide it in half. Erase the bottom half. This will create the shape of the armadillo’s shell. #2 2. Add a shape like an ice cream cone to one side. After you’re done, take off the pointed tip. This will be the head.
3. Round off all the sharp angles; first on Ice cream the head then on the shell. Add the legs. cone shape #3 They are shaped like a fat J.
4. Next draw the armadillo’s ears, eye, tail and the 10 strips that will form the 9 bands. The armadillo has 4 claws in front J shape and 5 in back.
Tail shape #4
If you’d like to add detail, you can put zig zags on the 9 bands and dots on the armadillo’s shell. Original by: Jan Brett 6
LET'S RODEO SAN ANTONIO COME ON down and meet a new friend or two
Get up close and personal with all kinds of animals at the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo and learn about the neat things that make them an important part of our lives. You and your family will have a great time with: Petting zoos Interactive educational exhibits High flying rodeo action Pig races Junior livestock show And more The San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo is a volunteer organization that emphasizes agriculture and education to develop the youth of Texas. So make plans to come on down in February. For more information, log onto sarodeo.com.
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