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Photo by Alan Schmierer made available through a Creative Commons license.

The February entry in Balcones Canyonlands Preserve’s Wild Neighbors series unrolls a subject close to every Texan’s heart: the armadillo. Originally hailing from Mexico, these armored insectivores ambled over the border sometime in the mid-1800s and decided to hang around. Dr. Pamela Owen, the associate director of the Texas Memorial Museum, will “explore the fossil record, biology and ecology of the nine-banded armadillo – our wild neighbor and cultural icon.” You’ll never look at these beneficial (they eat wasps!) and fascinating (they can jump straight up in the air!) mammals the same way again. Register here for the webinar on Friday, Feb. 26, noon-1 p.m. If you can’t attend the live event, it will be recorded and archived on YouTube with the rest of the Wild Neighbors speaker series.