A Texas man is recovering from a head injury caused by a ricocheting bullet after he fired a gun on an armadillo.

Local media reported the man left his home in Marietta, East Texas at 3am on Thursday morning when he saw the small armoured mammal and opened fire three times.

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Cass County Sheriff Larry Rowe told Reuters News that one of the bullets struck the man’s jaw.

“His wife was in the house. He went outside and took his .38 revolver and shot three times at the armadillo,” he said.

The man was airlifted to hospital.

The status of the armadillo isn’t known.

“We didn’t find the armadillo,” the sheriff said.

A similar report emerged in April of a man in the state of Georgia, who reportedly injured his mother in law after firing on the animal.

Armadillos are mostly an unprotected species across American states and often viewed as a pest.

The latest case sparked the social media hashtag #karmadillo.

“I just told him to put the gun down or one of us was gonna get hurt.” #karmadillo pic.twitter.com/bBGNXs9fZA

— Ricky Gervais (@rickygervais) August 1, 2015

Hey, @NRA. Seems the best way to stop a bad guy with a gun is an armadillo without one. #karmadillo https://t.co/5SfovU3D2Y

— Captain Greybeard (@Greybeardblog) August 3, 2015