The Pangolin

INTRODUCTION

What is this beautiful scaly animal?

The Pangolin is often thought of as a reptile, but they are actually a mammals.

They are covered in distinctive scales that ward off predators in the wild.

Where do they live?

They are found in Africa South of Sahara Desert, their Habitat is in sandy area of woodlands and savannas
(Grasslands)
Their homes , underground burrows, are usually near water sources.

Diet

Their diet consists completely of insects as they do not have any teeth, they use their long shape claw to
open up ant and termite hills, then they use their long sticky tongue to slurp up their food and swallow
them whole.

“Pangolins have a very poor sense of vision, so they rely heavily on smell and hearing.
Pangolins also lack teeth, therefore they have evolved other physical characteristics to help them eat ants
and termites. Their skeletal structure is sturdy and they have strong front legs that are useful for tearing
into termite mounds.They use their powerful front claws to dig into trees, ground, and vegetation to find
prey, then proceed to use their long tongues to probe inside the insect tunnels and to retrieve their prey.

This information I have sources from Wikipedia

Facts

• “The physical appearance of a pangolin is marked by large hardened overlapping plate-like scales,
• which are soft on newborn pangolins, but harden as the animal matures. They are made of keratin,
• the same material from which human fingernails and tetrapod claws are made. The pangolin's scaled
• body is comparable to a pine cone or globe artichoke. It can curl up into a ball when threatened, with
• its overlapping scales acting as armor, while it protects its face by tucking it under its tail. The scales
• are sharp, providing extra defense from predators.

This information I have sources from Wikipedia

When the Pangolin feels threatened they roll themselves up in a ball, they are also very good swimmers.

Conclusion
I think this animal look pretty  prehistoric, I hope people stop hunting these special animals and stop

destroying their habitats.

By Declan Fogarty