E. sexcinctus Skull Replica measures 4.9 in. E. sexcinctus skull is museum quality polyurethane cast. 2-part skull (separate cranium and jaw). Made in the USA. Cast from Private collection. Known as Six Banded Armadillo.
The E. sexcinctus is found in South America. They are typically between 16 and 20 in. in head-and-body length, and weighs 7.1 to 14.3 lb.
Their shell on the back is pale yellow to reddish brown, marked by scales of equal length, and scantily covered by buff to white bristle-like hairs. The forefeet have five distinct toes, each with moderately developed claws.
The E. sexcinctus are efficient diggers and form burrows to live in and search for prey. They are alert and primarily solitary. An omnivore, it feeds on insects, ants, carrion, and plant material.
Due to their poor eyesight, armadillos rely on their sense of smell to detect prey and predators. They inhabit savannas, primary and secondary forests, cerrados, shrub lands, and deciduous forests.
Fairly common, its range spans from Brazil and southern Suriname in the northeast through Bolivia, Paraguay, and Uruguay into northern Argentina in the southeast.
The E. sexcinctus is an omnivore that feeds on carrion, small invertebrates, insects, ants, fruits, palm nuts and tubers.
Captive individuals have been observed preying upon large rats. Due to their poor eyesight, they rely on their sense of smell to detect prey and predators.
To kill the prey, they stand on it, grab it using its teeth and tears it into pieces. They can store subcutaneous fat to support themselves at times when food is scarce.
The E. sexcinctus has a tympanic bulla; the ears are 13 to 19 in. long. There are 9 pairs of teeth on the upper jaw and 10 pairs on the lower jaw; the teeth are large and strong and are assisted by strong muscles for chewing.
The carapace is pale yellow to reddish brown marked by scales of equal length, and scantily covered by buff to white bristle-like hairs – unlike the hairy armadillos, that are covered by dense hairs.
The shell narrows to 70 to 80 percent of its original width towards the top of the head, which is covered by plates arranged in a definite pattern.
The forefeet have five distinct toes, each with moderately developed claws, of which the third is the longest.
E. sexcinctus breeding behavior has been observed in captivity. Births take place throughout the year. After a gestational period of 60 to 64 days, a litter of one to three is born. Each newborn weighs 3.4 to 3.9 oz., and has a hairless and soft carapace; it can give out soft clicks.
The pregnant female builds a nest before giving birth; if disturbed, the mother can react aggressively and shift her offspring. The eyes, closed at birth, open at 22 to 25 days. Weaning occurs at one month and the juveniles mature by nine months.
The IUCN classifies the six-banded armadillo as least concern, due to its wide distribution, good degree of tolerance and large populations. Moreover, it occurs in several protected areas.
Though there are no major threats to its survival, six-banded armadillo or E. sexcinctus populations north of the Amazon River might be declining due to few patches of savannas, human settlement and industrial expansion.
Moreover, these armadillos are reportedly hunted for medicinal purposes, though their meat is believed to have an unpalatable taste; in some areas in its range, people detest its meat due to the belief that the animal feeds on “rotting human corpses”.
Six-banded armadillos often raid cropfields to feed on tender plants; farmers are known to use traps aided by corn baits for these animals to curb the menace.
