Meet the Endangered Pangolin
The pangolin is the only mammal in the world covered in scales.
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Transcript
They look like armadillos…they eat like anteaters…but these nocturnal creatures are actually more closely related to cats and skunks!
Meet the pangolin.
Mark: Pangolins are insectivores. So mostly ants, termites, and eggs. They're sort of nature's cleaners. If we didn't have pangolins in the world, insects would probably overrun a lot of those habitats that they currently exist in. They have a very long, sticky tongue that allows them to kind of lap up insects and very strong claws on their front feet that they're able to dig into termite mounds and destroy ant nests.
Pangolins are very unique. We have found they are individuals. In the way they act, the way they behave.
One quirk all pangolins share is their…unusual defense mechanism.
Mark: They do roll up into a ball when they are threatened and that's just because the scales on their body act like armor to protect them. Unfortunately, it's probably their largest downfall as well, because when they are found in the wild, they do do that behavior, and they're easily picked up by people.
Pangolins are now the most-trafficked animals in the world.
Mark: Their meat is a delicacy in a lot of Asian countries and Africa, but their scales are believed, and other body parts are believed, to have medicinal value.
Their scales are made of keratin, the same stuff as human fingernails or chicken beaks.
There are eight species of pangolins, four in Asia and four in Africa.
They range from critically endangered to vulnerable.
Six zoos halfway across the globe are working together to save this special species.
Mark: Currently we have 13 pangolins under our care. In the last two years, we've had four births.
We are learning natural history information that can be applied back to any work being done in Africa. Our veterinary team is so skilled at pangolin care now that we're able to assist rehabilitators in Africa and Asia.
In the time it took you to watch this video, a pangolin was poached.
But with ongoing conservation efforts, these scaly friends might just roll up into a safer future.
But with ongoing conservation efforts, these scaly friends might just roll up into a safer future.