What is a Pangolin?  Pangolins are often referred to as scaly ant-eaters.   They help in maintaining the creepy-crawler world of insects.  Which in turn, affects crops, the animals who eat those crops, and not too long after that the environment. They are solitary and primarily nocturnal animals who are easily recognized by their full armor of scales. That's right, they have scales.

A startled Pangolin will cover its head with its front legs, exposing its scales to any potential predator. If touched or grabbed it will roll up completely into a ball, while the sharp scales on the tail can be used to lash out.  They kind of look like baby dragons when balled up.  It's kind of hard not to melt when you see one.

Pangolins are the most trafficked mammal in the world—with demand primarily in Asia and in growing amounts in Africa—for their meat and scales. There is also demand in the United States for Pangolin products, particularly for their leather to be used in boots, bags, and belts.

Eight species of Pangolins are found on 2 continents and they range from Vulnerable to Critically Endangered.  There is very little known about this elusive creature, so it’s difficult to estimate any wild population sizes. However, given the demand for Pangolin meat and scales, and the massive seizures of Pangolin scales that occurred in the years 2019 and 2020, the population is believed to be in decline.  There is data from 2019 indicating that a Pangolin is poached every 3 minutes.

Learn more:

https://www.worldwildlife.org/species/pangolin