Pangolins: Endangered Animal Profile

You may have never even heard of these creatures, these pangolins, and there is a good reason for it. Pangolins are one of the many endangered (meaning almost extinct) animals that dot our Earth.

Pangolins are a nocturnal animal, similar in appearance to an ant eater, only they have scales that cover their body. They are found mostly in Africa, and southeast Asia. Due to their use in medicines in these areas, hunting, their use in clothing, and loss of their natural habitats, their numbers are quickly dwindling. (berkeley)

These endangered animals are even served (openly) in restaurants, and traded for in markets, despite the fact that they are forbidden for hunt, or trade! Because of this, customers will pay large amounts of money to eat these animals. Customers will save scales (which are incorrectly thought to ease breast feeding Mothers), and even the blood of the forbidden, slaughtered animals.

The animals are often kept alive in the restaurant somewhere until ordered, and then they will be bludgeoned, brutally slaughtered, boiled and served. (guardian) .

These are amazing animals, even if they are a little odd looking to most of us! They live in burrows, and some even in trees (where they can find a good place to sleep in a hollow)! They feed mainly on insects, using their long tongue (some of their tongues can even get up to two feet long), and sharp claws to retrieve them, which come in handy since they don't have teeth.

When feeling threatened, pangolins have their own unique defense system. They can lash out with their scales, and even have a strong odorous scent which they can use to spray their enemies (not unlike the skunk). They will also curl up in a tight (almost impenetrable) ball, much like an armadillo, who they most closely resemble. However, despite it's resemblance to both the armadillo and the ant eater, the pangolin is related to neither, as was previously thought.

The pangolins are also amazing in their size range! The long tailed pangolin (which is the smallest of them) typically weighs about three pounds, and is roughly three feet in length. It's counterpart, the giant pangolins can weigh up to seventy pounds and be as long as six feet!

While for most of their time, pangolins walk about on all fours like many animals, it will stand up on two feet when they need speed, using their tail for support. When traveling on two feet instead of four, they can run in speeds up to three miles per hour (pangolin.com)!

Pangolins are in very real danger of extinction if people continue to abuse their lives. The more people who stand up to take an interest in these, and other amazing animals facing the same danger, the more animals that will be saved.