Once, I got home from school and my mom was sitting at the dining room table looking unusually serious. When I asked her what was wrong, she said that she had something important to tell me. I sat down, and she said, "I want you to know that if you ever come across an armadillo, DO NOT touch it under any circumstances. They spread leprosy." I live in Maryland, and I have never seen an armadillo in my life. I was rendered completely speechless. MLIA