Woman allegedly beaten with frozen armadillo

A man used a frozen armadillo to attack a 57-year old Pleasant Grove woman, Dallas police said. The incident happened on Sept. 29 in an apartment complex parking lot. According to investigators, the altercation occurred when the suspect was selling the carcass to the victim, who planned to eat the animal. The pair apparently began arguing over the price of the item when the man twice threw the armadillo at the woman. The animal first struck the woman in the leg and then in her chest. She was reportedly bruised by the attack...more

In case you were wondering, these armor-plated critters weigh from 12-17 pounds.

The Texas Parks & Wildlife Dept. says:

In the interest of health, a law was passed in Texas prohibiting the sale of live armadillos. (The same law also makes it illegal to sell skunks, an animal known to transmit rabies.) The purpose of the law is commendable, but thanks to the current armadillo-mania, prohibiting the sale of live armadillos has not lessened human contact with the armor-plated critters. They still are being caught for armadillo races; their shells are being converted into hard hats and other weird curios; whole animals are being stuffed in such undignified positions as lying on their backs, supposedly guzzling beer from a bottle; and the meat is being baked, barbecued, or turned into chili.

Texans ate a bunch of these critters during the depression, referring to them as a "Hoover Hog" or the "poor man's pork".