If you’ve been in the CWC lately you may have noticed a few new additions to the whiteboard (pictured below).
While they look akin to fantasy creatures from a children’s adventure book, these little guys actually exist! They are called pangolins, and this article is going to introduce you to them!
According to National Geographic, there are eight different species of pangolins. Four reside in Asia and the other four in Africa (pictured on the bottom right is a Sunda pangolin, one of the Asian species).
Pangolin Facts:
- Pangolins can range anywhere from the size of a small house cat to 4.5 feet long depending on the species
- To make up for their lack of pearly whites, pangolins have a tongue that can be up to 16 inches long. Perfect for eating up their favorite snacks: ants and termites.
- Pangolins scales are actually plates made of keratin (the same material as human fingernails), which makes them the only truly scaled mammal to exist.
- Their scales work to their advantage when they are scared, protecting them as they roll up into a ball like an armadillo, sometimes emitting a pungent odor to repel predators.
- Though they look and behave a lot like anteaters and armadillos, these shy creatures are actually more closely related to dogs, cats and bears!
The Plight of the Pangolins
A less light-hearted fact about our dear friend the pangolin is that they are known as the world’s most trafficked non-human mammal. Pangolins are often poached for their scales--which are believed to help with ailments by some cultures--as well as for their meat, which is consumed among the ultra-wealthy in China and Vietnam. The four Chinese species of pangolins are listed as critically endangered as that is where there is a large demand for their meat and scales, but since their numbers are rapidly dwindling, poachers have turned to Africa to get their pangolin fix. All four African species of pangolin are not yet endangered, but are listed as vulnerable. On a happier note, the pangolin trade was outlawed by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species in 2016. Obviously that does not deter all poachers, but that combined with conservation efforts are slowly bringing the pangolin population back up.
Hope you all enjoyed getting to know our new pals on the CWC whiteboard, and now you can be the life of your next social gathering with some interesting pangolin facts! Because that’s what the kids are into these days right?
source for information and picture:
“Pangolins.” Pangolin Facts and Information, National Geographic, 10 Apr. 2019, https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/group/pangolins/
