Pangolin

Pangolins are small mammals. Like anteaters, they have a long tongue that is used for eating ants and termites. They also have scales like an armadillo. These scales are made of keratin, which is the same thing that fingernails are made of. As a defense tactic, pangolins will roll up into a ball. They also release a smelly fluid for defense. Pangolins are very good at digging. They dig with their front feet and use their back feet and tail as a support. There is a large range of sizes across all the pangolin species, with some being 45 inches and some being 4.5 feet. Their weight is just as varying, with some only weighing 4 pounds and others weighing 78. The black-bellied pangolin is a very good tree climber, but most other pangolins live on the ground. They live alone and are mostly nocturnal.

There are eight species of pangolins, and all eight are endangered. The main reason they are endangered is animal trafficking. Pangolins are the most trafficked mammal other than humans. They are trafficked for their meat and especially their scales. Their scales are used as a medicine, although there is no scientific proof of medicinal value. They are used to "treat" many ailments such as arthritis. Their meat is a delicacy eaten by the very rich. Though the commercial sale of pangolins was banned in 2016, illegal pangolin trafficking continues to this day. In April 2019, people in Singapore found a 2 massive cartons, about 14 tons each, of pangolin scales. The scales came from about 72,000 pangolins.