Roll this armadillo puppet into a ball or let him wiggle on your hand while your students have fun learning about their armored friend.

One of God's strangest little creatures is the armadillo. Armadillos range in size from 6 inches to about five feet long. Their teeth are set back too far in their mouth to be used for fighting and their strong legs are great for digging but not for defense. They have the incredible ability to cling tightly inside their burrows. Southern school boys have often compared failure stories of trying to pull an armadillo from its hole by its protruding tail. The armadillo lives in burrows like a rabbit, yet lacks the softness and appealing beauty of a rabbit. Armadillos eat insect, spiders and earthworms like little birds, yet I know of no one building armadillo feeders. They are not God's most attractive creatures. Yet God in his infinite wisdom and minute planning provided the armadillo with a more useful trait than beauty. He gave them their very own armor to wear wherever they go.

Even the early Spanish explorers observed these small animals in the moonlight scampering to find a midnight snack. They appropriately named them, armadillo, meaning "little armored one." This wonderful armor designed by God isn't bulky or hot. It doesn't chaff their skin and they never remove it. The head and shoulders of the armadillo are covered with a tough covering and the nine bony bands protect the middle section allowing the armadillo to move. When exposed to a predator, the armadillo will roll into a tight ball exposing his bony armor.