The carapace (hard 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.

Fairly common, its range spans from Brazil and southern Suriname in the northeast through Bolivia, Paraguay, and Uruguay into northern Argentina in the southeast.

[5] The genera Chaetophractus (hairy armadillos) and Zaedyus (pichi) have at times been included in Euphractus, though karyotypical,[6] immunological[7] and morphological[8] analyses oppose this.

Fossil Euphractus excavated in Lagoa Santa, Minas Gerais (Brazil), Buenos Aires (Argentina), and Tarija (Bolivia) date back to the Pleistocene.

[2] The following five subspecies are recognized:[2][4] A 2006 morphological study of the phylogeny of armadillos showed that Chaetophractus, Chlamyphorus, Euphractus and Zaedyus form a monophyletic clade.

The carapace is pale yellow to reddish brown (though not a dark shade of brown or black), 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.

[11] The six-banded armadillo is an omnivore that feeds on carrion, small invertebrates, insects, ants, fruits (typically from bromeliads), palm nuts and tubers.

The pregnant female builds a nest before giving birth; if disturbed, the mother can react aggressively and shift her offspring.

It can adapt to a variety of habitats; it can even occur on agricultural lands and has been recorded at 1,600 meters (5,200 ft) above the sea level.

[22] The six-banded armadillo has a wide distribution in South America, from Brazil and southern Suriname in the northeast through Bolivia, Paraguay and Uruguay into northern Argentina in the southeast.

[1] The IUCN classifies the six-banded armadillo as least concern, due to its wide distribution, good degree of tolerance and presumably large populations.

Though there are no major threats to its survival, six-banded armadillo populations north of the Amazon River might be declining due to few patches of savannas, human settlement and industrial expansion.

[24] 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.