An estimated 20 million bats roost in the cave from March to October, making it the world’s largest bat colony and one of the largest concentrations of mammals on earth. 20 miles from downtown San Antonio hosts the largest concentration of these bats in the world in an area known as Bracken cave. The intelligent and unique mammal lives in caves in the southern US and Central and South America. On May 25, 1995, the Mexican Free-Tailed Bat was adopted as the Texas state flying mammal. Texas Flying State Mammal: Mexican Free-Tailed Bat Many horns vary in color and can have a slight upward turn at their tips or even a triple twist. The Texas LonghornĬowboy writer Chuck Walters described the mammal by saying, “Their long, polished horns sometimes ran six feet from tip to tip … they were lean and lithe, alert as a deer, half-wild, half-savage, half-human.” This is quite accurate as horns can measure up to seven feet from tip to tip and can vary in style from rising close to the head or at the tip of the horn. During the quarter-century following the Civil War, 10 million Longhorns were driven north from Mexico into Texas and were almost bred out of existence. Known for its ability to swim rivers, survive the desert sun and winter snow, and travel many distances without water and food, the Longhorn became a symbol of the Texas cattle drives in the 1860s and 1870s. The largest mammal in Texas, Longhorns are descendants of the cattle first introduced to North America by Columbus in 1493. In 1995, the Texas Longhorn was signed into law as Texas’s large state mammal by then-Governor George W. Although its appearance is less than spectacular, the Mockingbird is one of the only birds that can bless our ears with up to 200 different songs and continues to be a joy in many people’s lives. The admiration of the Mockingbird among state legislatures has left many wondering why the modest-looking bird is so popular. Since then, Tennessee, Florida, Mississippi, and Arkansas have followed in Texas’s lead and have also adopted “the mocker” as their official state bird. On January 31, 1927, Governor Dan Moody approved the measure and Texas became the very first state to choose a state bird. This nomination was extremely popular and the Texas State legislature noted that the mockingbird was “the most appropriate species for the state bird of Texas, as it is found in all parts of the state, in winter and in summer, in the city and in the country, on the prairie and in the woods and hills, and is a singer of a distinctive type, a fighter for the protection of his home, falling, if need be, in its defense, like any true Texan.” The Texas Federation of Women’s Club quickly caught on and nominated the Mockingbird to represent Texas. The Mockingbird’s origin story starts in 1920 when the General Federation of Women’s Clubs hatched the idea for each state to have a bird mascot. Unfortunately, the nine-banded armadillo has become infamous in Texas for jumping in front of a car’s headlights so remember to keep a lookout while driving at night! Texas State Bird: Northern Mockingbird The unique female armadillo only gives birth to quadruplets that have developed from the same egg, and therefore all of her four offspring are always of the same sex. The mammal is cat-sized, armored, and a major digger known for creating burrows in a variety of places including brush, woods, scrubs, and grasslands. The nine-banded armadillo is the only armadillo species native to North America and it is found as far north and east as Oklahoma and Mississippi. The nine-banded armadillo was selected as the small state mammal as an animal that “ possesses many remarkable and unique traits, some of which parallel the attributes that distinguish a true Texan, such as a deep respect and need for the land, the ability to change and adapt, and a fierce undying love for freedom.” Nine-Banded Armadillo, Photo by Max Letek
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