Pangolins

The pangolin lives in Asia and Africa, depending on the species.They can be found in grasslands, forests, and in dry bush. It uses its toughclaws to help it build burrows that they live in. They eat mostly ants, larvae,and small insects, so it is a carnivore. It has a long tongue that it sticksout to lick up food. This animal actually does not have teeth, so it swallowssome stones to help it mush up its food. Other animals like the crocodile andsome bird species also do this. They are shy and nocturnal animals, it is a pretty rareanimal and stays hidden. It is Very endangered due to a variety of reasons.It's Hunted for meat, its scales, and also it is sometimes used in traditionalmedicine. The pangolins predators include, Big cats, snakes, hyenas, and humansthat hunt. It protects itself by Curling up into a ball, and it’s strong scalesprotect it. It can also burrow into the ground. These pangolins live alone, and use scents to mark their territories. The males of this species are larger. The smallest of thespecies is the chinese pangolin, weighing 8 pounds and being a bit more than afoot long, and the largest is the giant pangolin, weighing 70 pounds and being4 feet long. The animal is brown, scaly, and has a snout, similar to that of anant-eater, since the animals are related. They can live up to 20 years, and canstart mating at 2 years of age. The scientific name for the pangolin ispholidota.