Today I will be speaking on Pangolins.
They are very unusual creatures, whose name means: "something that rolls up". They are covered in plates instead of fur (much like an armordillo). Pangolins are nocturnal and mainly feed on insects using their long tongue. They have prehensile tails and keratin scales, making them the only known mammals with this adaptation.
There are eight species of Pangolin. Let's see if I can list them all: the Chinese pangolin, the Sunda pangolin, the Black-bellied pangolin, the White-bellied pangolin, Temmenik's ground pangolin, the Giant pangolin, and the Indian pangolin, and Philippine pangolin. Phew! That's a lot!
Here are some more interesting facts:
Four of the eight species live in Africa while the other four survive in Southern Asia.
They can eat up to 70 million ants per year!
Are often hunted for their scales and meat.
Their tongue is longer than their body!
20% of their body weight is made up of scales.
Baby pangolins are carried on their mother's tails.
I hope you enjoyed learning about these beautiful and unique creatures!
Until next time...
