Armadillos and Baseball Together At Last

Fun Baseball Armadillo Facts:

* Armadillos are members of the same family as anteaters and sloths. As is the case with most members of that superorder, they have low body temperatures and a slow metabolism. That helps them get through doubleheaders without needing a snack in between.

* Armadillos have poor vision, but large eyes. This makes them excellent candidates for umpiring once their playing careers are over.

* Armadillos are covered in relatively small, overlapping epidermal scales called “scutes”, composed of bone with a covering of horn. In most species, rigid shields cover the shoulders and hips, with a number of bands separated by flexible skin cover the back and flanks. Basically, catchers.

* The North American nine-banded armadillo often jumps straight up into the air when surprised, which can then send them straight into the bottom of your car. Kinda like when a slugger is trying to avoid the tight fastball and brings his hands right into the pitch.

* Armadillos are solitary animals that do not share their burrows with other adults. So don’t go try to hang out with him down there at the end of the bench.

* Armadillos have been consistently expanding their range in North America over the last century due to a lack of natural predators, and have been found as far north as southern Illinois and Indiana. Bandwagon fan.

* There’s a Pink Fairy Armadillo. It is pink, but not very fairy like, so he can startle. Sorta like when I showed my wife a picture of Corey Hart.