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Six-Banded Armadillo

The six-banded armadillo lives in open areas like savannas and dry forests across South America. It eats a variety of plant materials and small animals. Distinctive features include a protective shell with 6-8 movable bands, short limbs, and sharp claws for digging burrows. Females give birth to 1-3 young annually after a 2 month gestation period. Considered least concern by the IUCN, six-banded armadillos are diurnal and solitary except during breeding season.

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188 views2 pages

Six-Banded Armadillo

The six-banded armadillo lives in open areas like savannas and dry forests across South America. It eats a variety of plant materials and small animals. Distinctive features include a protective shell with 6-8 movable bands, short limbs, and sharp claws for digging burrows. Females give birth to 1-3 young annually after a 2 month gestation period. Considered least concern by the IUCN, six-banded armadillos are diurnal and solitary except during breeding season.

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Six-banded Armadillo

Euphractus sexcinctus

Range: The South American countries of


Bolivia, Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay, and
Suriname.

Habitat: Six-banded Armadillos prefer to live


in open areas such as savannas, shrubland,
and dry semi-deciduous forests.

Diet: They are omnivorous and will eat plant material (including bromeliad fruit, tubers, palm nuts)
composes 90% of the diet. Insects like ants, termites, carrion, and small vertebrates such as frogs,
birds, and rats are also eaten. They will also occasionally feed on dead carcasses by standing on
them and ripping off pieces held in their jaws.

Lifespan: They can live 8-12 years in the wild, and up to 20 years in captivity.

Description: Six-banded Armadillos are the second largest armadillo species. They are moderately
hairy and yellow to red-brown in color. They have short limbs with sharp claws to help them dig.
Their protective shell is made of bony plates called scutes covered with horny skin. Six-banded
armadillos have between 6 and 8 moveable bands on the shell and 2-4 distinctive bands of plates
around the base of the tail, where scent glands are located.

Breeding: Females usually gives birth to a litter of 1-3 (both male and female) babies in a nest that
she has built herself. These babies may be born anytime during the year after a gestation period of
60-64 days. There is a possibility of a time delay between fertilization and the implantation of the egg
in the wall of the female’s uterus. Babies weigh about 95-115g at birth and their eyes open after 22-
25 days. During the first month of their lives, the babies quadruple their weight and by the end of the
month are able to eat solid foods. Armadillos are considered mature at 9 months old.

Behavior/Adaptations: Most armadillos are nocturnal while six-banded armadillos tend to more
diurnal and can remain active in daylight. Armadillos are solitary and will dig burrows for themselves
to use as shelter. When digging, a six-banded armadillo will pile dirt underneath themselves with
their front claws, and then use their hind claws to throw the piled dirt out behind it. They use the
same den site for quite some time. Most armadillo species abandon dens after only a few days.
If they feel threatened by predators, they will freeze, draw their legs under their hop and shoulder
shields and sit tight on the ground, protecting their vulnerable underside. If they are close to their
burrow they may also try to run to it for protection.

Predators: Jaguarondis, jaguars, cougars, wild dogs, alligators, maned wolves, and humans who eat
them for meat.

Conservation: They are considered a species of Least Concern with a stable population by the
IUCN.

Interesting Facts:
 Six-banded armadillos are the most common species of armadillo in Argentina.
 “Armadillo” is Spanish for little armored thing.
 Armadillo head plates are unique to each armadillo, like human fingerprints.
 All armadillos are found in the new World (Americas), most likely originating in South
America.
Information taken from the following sources:
http://cincinnatizoo.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Six-Banded-Armadillo-complete.pdf
http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/accounts/Euphractus_sexcinctus/
https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/8306/47441708

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