Llanos of Colombia and Venezuela.

Head and body length: 240 — 573 mm.
Tail length: 125 — 483 mm.
Weight: 1 — 10 kg.

Most members of the genus Dasypus have very little hair. Almost no hair is present on the upper part of the body, while sparsely scattered and pale yellowish hair is present on the undersides. They range from mottled brown to yellowish white in carapace color. Members of this genus are characterized by the long, pointed nose and relatively short legs. Four toes are present on the front feet, five toes on the hind feet, all with well-developed claws. They may possess from 6 to 11 movable bands on the shell. The ears of D. sabanicola are shorter than the ears of D. novemcinctus.

Members of this genus appear to prefer dense shady cover and limestone formations, from sea level to 3000 meters in elevation. They dig burrows from 0.5 to 3.5 meters deep and up to 7.5 meters long. Large nests of grass or leaves are often constructed in nest chambers within the burrow. They often share burrows with other armadillos, but not with members of the opposite sex.

Armadillos in the genus Dasypus are primarily nocturnal, but occasionally forage in the daytime. They emit almost constant grunting noises while they are foraging. If they feel threatened, they hurry to a nearby burrow. If there is no burrow nearby, they curl up as much as possible to protect their soft undersides. The animals do not seem to feel threatened by humans. The diet consists primarily of animal matter. The armadillos forage for insects, spiders, and small amphibians; they predominately seem to prefer beetles and ants. Population densities in South America have been reported as high as 280 per square kilometer for D. sabanicola.

D. sabanicola bears 4 young per litter.