I've eaten a lot of things that some folks would consider weird, but I've never had the slightest desire to eat an armadillo. And, to be truthful, I wouldn't have a clue how to skin the ugly armored critters, even if I did want to eat one.

Well, that's maybe a good thing. According to the New England Journal of Medicine , armadillos are almost certainly the source of leprosy in about 1/3 of the cases of leprosy seen in Texas and Louisiana. Many of these folks have never traveled to Mexico or Central America, where most cases of leprosy are seen in North America are contracted. It is also endemic in India, Brazil, and the Philippines.

If caught early, leprosy (Hansen's disease) is treatable with antibiotics. But still, if you're tempted to skin and eat one, don't.

Onward and upward,
airforce