I saw my first armadillo of the new year Tuesday, and a fine, big specimen it was (emphasis on was).

I was headed south out of town on Third St. when I spotted it just on the edge of the road. Whatever vehicle was responsible for its demise, it couldn’t have hit the creature more perfectly. It was as if someone had flattened it in a huge book, a four-legged armored flower of sorts to be preserved for future generations.

That driver was fortunate. Striking an armadillo that size might have sent a compact car and its driver spinning out of control and into a ditch, or at the very least caused major front end damage.

We tend to forget about these fascinating tank-like creatures until one darts unexpectedly into our path.

This is a friendly reminder to add armadillos to the list of deer, wild turkey, raccoons, possums, badgers, occasional wayward cows, and everything else that can and does surprise us while driving county roads.

Be alert, be smart, be safe. Armadillo babies should grow up with their mamas, too.

— david colburn