The Texas Armadillo Proves Big Isn’t Always Better Here

The armadillo is about as Texan as brisket, bluebonnets, and dusty pickup trucks.

In Texas, you see armadillos on t-shirts, restaurant logos, and tourist souvenirs — a sort of unofficial mascot for the Lone Star State. Texans have taken this armored little critter and turned it into a cultural symbol, equal parts tough and quirky.

Everything’s Bigger in Texas... Except the Armadillo

It’s funny, really. We like to say “everything’s bigger in Texas,” but that doesn’t exactly hold true for the armadillo. After digging into the topic of “The Biggest Armadillo Ever,” it turns out the Texas nine-banded armadillo is actually on the smaller side of the species. While ours weigh around 12 to 15 pounds, their South American cousins — the giant armadillos — can tip the scales at up to 180 pounds.

A Creature from Another Time

These massive armadillos look like they wandered straight out of the dinosaur age, with claws that could put a velociraptor to shame. The typical adult giant armadillo is about the size of a small child, stretching over five feet long from snout to tail. Thankfully, these prehistoric tanks live far from Texas, deep in the forests of South America — which is probably for the best.

Read More: Exploring Texas: Why It's The Second Most Haunted State

Imagine the Mayhem

As amusing as it sounds, a 100-pound armadillo wandering across Texas highways would be chaos waiting to happen. It’s probably best that the “giant” ones stay south of the equator. Still, Texans can rest easy knowing that our smaller, scrappier armadillos are just the right size to keep their place as the most charming road-crossers in the state.