Armadillo crossing

I've seen a live armadillo exactly once: in Kerrville, Texas, in 1989.

I've never seen one alive in Georgia or Alabama. But I've sure seen them dead along the road. Yesterday alone I counted six or seven roadkill armadilloes. One of them I had to straddle with the wheels of my car.

Early summer must be armadillo mating season--I'm assuming that since I never see dead armadilloes at other times of year. Mating seems to deprive most species of their sense of direction and propriety. But I see all the other animals alive, and I often have to brake hard to avoid hitting them as they walk across. We're talking everything from deer to opossums to box turtles here. Why not armadilloes?

And why are they not in the back yard? Everything else is! They must be very wily.