One of South America’s smaller and more elusive species of armadillo. Found across central and eastern Brazil, as well as parts of Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay, and northern Argentina, this species is a quiet inhabitant of grasslands, dry forests, and savannas. Despite its modest size, the seven-banded armadillo is an ecological engineer—an expert digger that helps aerate soil and control insect populations.

Physically, the seven-banded armadillo is small and slender. Its body is covered by the classic armadillo armor—a shell made of bony plates known as scutes, covered in a tough, leathery skin. As its name suggests, it usually has seven movable bands in the midsection, though individuals can vary from six to nine. These bands give the armadillo flexibility, allowing it to curl partially when threatened or squeeze through tight spaces. The coloration ranges from yellowish-brown to gray, with sparse hairs poking through between the armor bands. Its long, narrow snout and small, pointed ears give it a somewhat gentle, inquisitive look—perfectly adapted for sniffing out insects in soil and under leaf litter.

Behaviorally, the seven-banded armadillo is nocturnal and solitary, spending much of its life foraging quietly at night and sheltering in burrows during the day. Its diet is mainly insectivorous, consisting of ants, termites, beetle larvae, worms, and other small invertebrates, though it also eats fruit, roots, and fungi when available. It has a long, sticky tongue for scooping up insects and can dig with astonishing speed using its powerful forelimbs and strong claws. Its burrows—often dug under bushes or near termite mounds—are typically about a meter long and open into a chamber where the animal rests curled up safely. When threatened, the seven-banded armadillo may sprint short distances, dive into a burrow, or flatten itself against the ground to avoid detection.

Distribution

Country

Population est.

Status

Year

Comments

Argentina

2013

Bolivia

2013

Brazil

2013

Paraguay

2013