- Pangolins are mammals of the order Pholidota. It is the only mammal in the world to be covered from head to toe in keratin scales. The Pangolin’s scaled body is comparable in appearance to a pine cone
- If under threat, a Pangolin will immediately curl into a tight ball and will use their sharp-scaled tails to defend themselves.
- They have short legs, with sharp claws which they use for burrowing into ant and termite mounds, and climbing
- Pangolins eat ants, termites, and larvae which they capture with their long tongue. Pangolins have a long sticky tongue that grows from deep inside their chest cavity and can extend to over 40cm, which is longer than its own body
- Some species, such as the tree Pangolin, use their strong, prehensile tails to hang from tree branches and strip away bark from the trunk, exposing insect nests inside
- They are nocturnal, solitary animals with very poor eyesight, meeting only to mate.
- They live in hollow trees or burrows, depending on the species
- Pangolins are hunted and eaten in many parts of Africa and are one of the more popular types of bush meat, while local healers use the Pangolin as a source of traditional medicine
