Armadillo Frightens Couple After Smashing Window to Break Into Texas Home

An armadillo that unexpectedly made a surprise entrance to a home in Texas has captured viral attention this week.

A picture of the deviant mammal was shared Wednesday on Reddit where it has since received more than 21,000 upvotes and thousands of comments.

The barrel-shaped armadillo is a mammal with natural armor—in fact, the name armadillo means "little armored one" in Spanish.

With 21 species, armadillos vary in size and appearance, with the smallest measuring just 6 inches long and the giant armadillo reaching around 5 feet. While armadillos tend to stick closer to the equator, with most found in central and south America, one species ranges from Argentina to the southern United States.

The nine-banded armadillo, like the one in the now-viral picture, prefers wet climates and often lives in forested or grassland habitats. Populations of the armored mammal are growing since most of their natural predators have been eradicated, although they are known to succumb to traffic—often referred to as the "hillbilly's speedbump" due to their tendency to travel over highways.

Poster u/theladymorganna, who is named Sam, told Newsweek: "The armadillo broke one window of a multi-windowed door. This happened just as I'd gotten in bed to go to sleep, so it scared the hell out of me. I thought one of my dogs had smashed its head through a window and the scampering sound after was my cat running in fear. Instead, I turned on the lights to find an armadillo in my house!"

With both the armadillo and the home's residents a little shaken, Sam said that luckily the animal was very docile: "We didn't touch it as we've heard they can carry leprosy, but it seemed unharmed."

Indeed, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that some armadillos are naturally infected with the bacteria that can cause Hansen's disease (leprosy) in people, and it may be possible that the animals can spread the disease. However, the CDC notes that the risk of this is very low and most people who come into contact with an armadillo are unlikely to contract the disease.

"He's just a little guy, I'd forgive him," said one reply on the viral Reddit post. Meanwhile, another commenter said: "I guess you got a pet armadillo now."

Another Redditor joked: "He was just filming an action movie, Armadilloed And Dangerous. Stop leaking set pics."

Fortunately, Sam's husband is handy and the couple were able to fix the broken window themselves.

"I'm surprised about the viral reaction," Sam said. "But then again, I suppose it's not every day you see an armadillo in a residential house."