It's not all about the bats. Vote for Austin's official animal (bat, armadillo, salamander…)

The mayor wants the bat to be Austin’s official animal. The choice may not be as obvious as you think.

Before bats became so popular, there was the armadillo. Newcomers may be surprised, but the armadillo was HUGE, mostly due to the Armadillo World Headquarters, the music venue that kick-started Austin as the Live Music Capital of the World.

Then there’s our Barton Springs salamander, endangered for years and now flourishing thanks to citizen efforts. But what about the longhorn? Or grackles, the species with the most sexual dimorphism (read the Leslie bird)? Any of these could represent Austin. Take our poll and we’ll let the City Council know.

Cityism, the Austin board game, is crawling with these animals and more.