Animal: Pangolins
Overshadowed by: armadillos
Classification: mammal
Scientific name: Pholidota
Endangered status: very endangered
Habitat: Forests, savannas, and grasslands in Asia, and Africa.
Predators: leopards, and hyenas
Size: 30 to 40 lbs and 12 to 39 in long
Diet: termites, ants, worms, bee larva, and earth worms
Hunting strategy: digs through their nests then slurps them up with their tongues.
Closest relatives: bears, wolfs, and hyenas.
AKA: scaly aardvarks
AKA: scaly aardvarks
Facts: 1 pangolin can eat 70 million insects each year, pangolins, like aardvarks, live in burrows, pangolins can also live in nests in trees, they don't have teeth and have bad eye sight due to small eyes, pangolin scales are made out of the same substance as our finger nails, their tongues are longer than their bodes, can release a smell much like that of a skunk.
I find it fascinating that their tongues are longer than their bodies! Would love to see how that is possible.
ReplyDeleteI learned a ton from this post. Thanks, Ty!
70 million insects a year! Wow! Very informative blog post, thanks for the info!
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