Don’t Mess With Texas Armadillos (A Cautionary Tale)

In, what can only be described as the “most Texas story on the Internet” this week, a man in far Northeast Texas was reportedly airlifted to a nearby hospital when a bullet that he was shooting at an armadillo ricocheted off of the animal’s shell and hit him in the face.

Cass County, Texas

Photo: Flickr/Kimberly Vardeman

Officials in Cass County, Texas report that the unidentified man went outside at 3 a.m. to shoot his .38 revolver at the pesky nocturnal intruder. The man shot three times, with the final bullet hitting the armadillo’s shell, bouncing off and hitting the man in the face. Once at the hospital, the man’s jaw had to be wired shut. Upon further research, it has been determined that this event happened in 2015, however, it is unknown what the man’s current condition is. Also unknown is the fate of the armadillo sporting one heck of a deflector shield.

What Are Armadillo Shells Made Of?

Photo: Pixabay/Skeeze

For those unfamiliar with (arguably) one of the state’s strangest critters, armadillos are nocturnal and most active around dawn or dusk.  It is not uncommon to see one around this time if you are near an area with lots of underbrush or with a good water source.  Armadillos are attracted to these types of places because they forage and burrow here.

This raises the question: What are armadillo shells made out of and could they really stop a bullet? A combination of bone and a tough tissue coating, the armadillo’s shell is called a carapace (which is the same term for a turtle’s shell). About 2,000 tiny scales, or scutes, are composed of the protein keratin and make up the carapace. Keratin is the same protein that makes up our fingernails and horns in some animals.

Current Condition of Man and Armadillo Unknown

Photo: Flickr/Lisa Zins

So, the jury’s still out on how exactly this accident happened. As with many stories that take place at 3 a.m. and involve an armadillo and a revolver, there were likely other factors at play. The good news is that there’s a decent chance that the man survived his injuries. As for the armadillo, 2.5 shots from a revolver doesn’t seem like good odds for survival. But, stranger things have happened in Texas...