Lamar Valley, Yellowstone
About this photograph
I had a simple goal: find a live, road-rash-free armadillo in Canyon of the Eagles LCRA park before the early evening light disappeared, and the little dillos had over imbibed on Lone Star beer. Simple, sure. But these legendary little tanks of the Texas Hill Country operate on their own cosmic schedule, and this one, Texas's official state small mammal, was shuffling through dry leaves with the determined energy of someone who just remembered an important errand.
I crouched low, knees protesting, camera barely breathing. The warm amber of early evening dripped through the canopy, kissing that extraordinary armored shell, each interlocking scute catching the light like hammered steel. Up close, the texture is almost architectural, a mosaic of steel-blue and brown, nature's own chainmail.
The sounds of the park, crickets tuning up, a distant hawk, the papery rustle of fallen leaves beneath tiny claws, wrapped around us both. His small dark eye regarded me with magnificent indifference. No panic. No rolling. Just pure, prehistoric composure.
This is the "Hillbilly Speed Bump," the "Armored Pig," a creature unchanged since the Pleistocene, wandering blissfully through one of Texas's most celebrated natural sanctuaries.
Now, this rare portrait can wander right into your home. Own a piece of wild Texas heritage, armored, alive, and gloriously undignified.
1) Fine Art Paper, Gallery Wrapped Canvas, Acrylic & Metal/Aluminum are the materials that we print on. For details, please see the "materials" section in the images.
