BURNET, Texas — There was a rare treat recently in the Texas Hill Country when armadillo quadruplets were spotted taking a mud bath.
The siblings appeared to be enjoying themselves as they cooled off at Inks Lake State Park in Burnet, northwest of Austin.
Nine-banded armadillos are the only mammal in the world that always give birth to identical quadruplets, according to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. They even share a single placenta in the womb.
It's rare to see quadruplets together.
The small state mammal of Texas, armadillos are about the size of a cat and weigh up to 17 pounds. They have a bony, scaled shell to protect them from predators. Unfortunately, armadillos often fall prey to vehicles while scurrying across Texas roadways.
Native to South America, the armadillos eat primarily insects and other invertebrates. They're skilled at digging for grubs and also sometimes eat berries and bird eggs.
