About Six-Banded Armadillos

The six-banded armadillo is a mammal, related to the anteater and sloth families. Armadillo in Spanish mean "armored one" but they cannot roll up into a ball for protection contrary to popular belief. The six-banded armadillo gets its name from the bands that run across its hard exterior shell on its mid section.

Geography

The range of the six-banded armadillo stretches extensively through South America. It lives from Suriname in the northeastern portion of the continent to Argentina and Uruguay in the southern part. The eastern slopes of the Andes mark the westernmost regions where you can find this mammal. It prefers the dry and grassy savanna, but can be found on the edges of forests.

Size

The six-banded armadillo averages between 15 and 20 inches long in body length, with another 5 to 10 inches tacked on for its tail. They can weigh from 8 to 15 pounds. Only the giant armadillo of South America is larger among armadillos.

Identification

Also known as the yellow armadillo due to the color of its shell, the six-banded can be a brownish hue as well. It has five toes on each foot with sharp claws on every one of them, the longest always on the second toe. They normally are hairy and the head is flattened and pointed. The shell hardens as it grows and the bands about the middle of it, which can number from six to seven, act as a sort of hinge to allow the creature to move. Armadillos, the six-banded included, have no enamel on their peg-like teeth, which are in their cheeks.

Time Frame

In captivity a six-banded armadillo once lived 18 years but their lifespan in the wild is shorter, around 10 to 12 years. The gestation period for the female, which can have a litter of two any time of the calendar year, is 60 to 65 days. The young, called pups, will open their eyes within three weeks of being born and are able to eat solid nourishment in a month, reaching sexually maturity in nine months.

Considerations

Of all the armadillos, only the six-banded is diurnal, moving about in the daylight hours in its search for food. They will eat plants, insects, and carrion, often going into farmers' fields and drawing their wrath, leading to their being trapped. The flesh is said to be sweet but it is not sought after by humans as a food source. It is not endangered across its range. They have horrible eyesight but compensate for this with excellent senses of hearing and smell. They use the same den often, an unusual trait among the species. Their powerful claws make them skilled and rapid diggers.