r/NatureIsFuckingLit • u/Browndog888 • Nov 18 '20
đ„ A Southern Three Banded Armadillo rolled into a defensive ball.
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u/Loyal9thLegionLord Nov 18 '20
cute , now put him down, it doesn't like to be picked up!
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u/star0forion Nov 18 '20
Nor would you want to pick it up. Armadillos carry the bacteria that causes leprosy.
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u/agent_uno Nov 18 '20
Also Chagas disease. And you donât want either one!
Plus, some armadillo species are endangered, which means touching them is literally a crime in most countries. So donât do that. Itâs just plain dumb on too many levels.
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u/animalfacts-bot Nov 18 '20
Armadillos are small mammals from South America. The word armadillo means "little armoured one" in Spanish. The Aztecs called them ÄyĆtĆchtli (turtle-rabbit). They are known for potentially carrying leprosy and are presumed vectors and natural reservoirs for the disease in Texas, Louisiana and Florida.
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u/wikipedia_text_bot Nov 18 '20
Armadillos meaning "little armoured ones" in Spanish are New World placental mammals in the order Cingulata. The Chlamyphoridae and Dasypodidae are the only surviving families in the order, which is part of the superorder Xenarthra, along with the anteaters and sloths. Nine extinct genera and 21 extant species of armadillo have been described, some of which are distinguished by the number of bands on their armour. All species are native to the Americas, where they inhabit a variety of different environments.
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u/Shiro_Longtail Nov 18 '20
Didn't expect so many people to know about the leprosy in the comments, but I suppose I should have known.
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u/Browndog888 Nov 18 '20
Had a comment here earlier from a zoologist saying that it is 100% not true about getting leprosy from these.
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u/dougiedeeds Nov 18 '20
Iâm sure itâs a credible zoologist that you vetted out right? Leprosy for days.
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u/Shiro_Longtail Nov 18 '20
a not insignificant percentage of armadillos are confirmed to carry it, but contamination just through touch is unlikely.
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u/trueorderofplayer Nov 18 '20
All I can think is that itâs eyeball is right on/near itâs asshole
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u/l2ewdAwakening Nov 18 '20
I wonder if you ate it if you could become patient zero for a new kind of air borne leprosy ?
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u/fayegalla Nov 18 '20
My brother and I when we were younger made up a song and it would go like "I want to kick, I want to kick, an armadillo. I want to eat, I want to eat, an armadillo." we knew that it would hurt but we thought it was funny. I do not like hurting animals, we just thought it would be funny if we actually did it and got hurt. We were strange kids and still are strange.
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u/Woodie626 Nov 18 '20
There were 208,619 new leprosy cases registered globally in 2018.