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You don't say...
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I think it would be interesting to some to tell a few tales about Texas. Some will be new some will be old...hopefully they will be fun and interesting. Just click on the links below.
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The Armadillo.... |
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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 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. |
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The armadillo has an 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. Hmmm, I wonder how it does that...? sniff... sniff... * Now I lived in Texas for almost 10 years. All I ever saw were the dead ones on the side of the road, until the year I was moving... One night the dogs were making a rukus. I went to the front door and low and behold there was an armadillo. Alive and well, and strolling across the front porch. It had to climb 3 steps to get there. | |
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Fire Ants.... |
 
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Fire ants are named after the fiery pain and burn-like effects of their stings. Fire ants are very aggressive when disturbed. They quickly run up any thing placed into their nests. So you must mind where you step. Fire ants latch onto the skin of their victims with their barbed mandibles and then, pivoting around the bite point, each fire ant will rotate in circles, stinging repeatedly until the victim repels the ant or the ant dies. The venom the ant injects causes an intense burning sensation in the skin followed by blisters that persist for days.
To treat fire ant stings it is best to elevate the affected area if possible and then apply ice or a cold compress before cleaning the area with soap and water. Use topical ointments and oral histamines to control the itching. * I remember my friend Diane, from Illinois, coming for a weekend visit. She and I had a few too many drinks on Saturday night and in the morning she was not feeling well. She went out in the front and sat on a railroad tie and proceeded to kick herself for drinking a bit too much. I went out to talk with her after a bit and to see how she was. I noticed the pile of dirt not more that a foot or two away, and told her to get up and move. I told her she was lucky they hadn't spotted her yet. She said she was so upset with herself that she was about to knock that mound down. Being from the north, she was not aware of what it was or contained. The poor girl would have really been sorry if I had not arrived on time. 
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The Jack-a-lope.... |
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The Jackalope (Lepus-temperamentalus) is one of the rarest animals in the world. A cross between a now extinct pygmy-deer and a species of killer-rabbit, they are extremely shy unless approached. Known by the ancients as "deerbunnies", it wasn't until the early 1960's that the modern more fearsome name of "jackalope" was adopted (see True Stories below). It is written that you can extract the Jackalope's milk as it sleeps belly up at night. The milk is belived to be medicinal and can be used to treat a variety of afflictions. The truth is these creatures are aggressive and unpredictable, and should not be provoked for any reason! |
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