Pangolin facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Pangolins |
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Pholidota
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Manidae
Gray, 1821
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Pangolins (or scaly anteaters) are mammals which live in Africa and Asia. Imagine an animal covered in scales, like a walking pinecone or a tiny dragon! That's kind of what a pangolin looks like.
Pangolins have tough, overlapping scales made of keratin. They superficially resemble armadillos, though the two are not closely related.
Pangolins are also known as scaly anteaters because they love to eat ants and termites.
Contents
Where do pangolins live?
Pangolins live in Asia and Africa. There are eight different species of pangolins: four in Asia and four in Africa.
- Asian Pangolins: These pangolins live in countries like India, China, the Philippines, and Indonesia. They like to hang out in forests, grasslands, and even agricultural areas.
- African Pangolins: You can find these pangolins in various parts of Africa, from the savannas to the rainforests. They live in countries like Nigeria, Uganda, and South Africa.
Appearance
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Pangolins come in different sizes and colors, depending on the species.
- Size: Pangolins can range from about 1.6 feet to over 5 feet long, including their tail.
- Scales: Their scales are usually brown or yellowish-brown, helping them blend in with their surroundings.
- Body shape: Pangolins have a long, slender body with short legs. They have strong claws that they use for digging.
- Head: Their head is small and cone-shaped, with no teeth! Instead, they have a long, sticky tongue that they use to slurp up ants and termites. This tongue can be longer than their body!
- Tail: Their tail is long and strong, helping them balance and sometimes even grab onto trees.
Diet
Pangolins are insectivores, which means they eat insects. Their favorite foods are ants and termites. They use their strong claws to dig into ant nests and termite mounds. Then, they use their long, sticky tongue to lick up the insects. A pangolin can eat up to 70 million insects each year! That's a lot of bugs!
Behavior
Pangolins are mostly nocturnal, which means they are active at night. During the day, they sleep in burrows or hollow logs. They are usually solitary animals, meaning they prefer to live alone.
When a pangolin feels threatened, it curls up into a tight ball, protecting its soft belly with its tough scales. This is a great defense mechanism because it makes it hard for predators to get to them.
Life Cycle
Pangolins usually have one baby at a time, called a pup. The mother pangolin carries her pup on her back or tail for the first few months of its life. The pup starts eating insects when it is about three months old and becomes independent after a few months.
Predators
A pangolin's main predators are wild cats, hyenas and humans.
Pangolins and humans
Pangolins are very important for the environment. By eating ants and termites, they help control insect populations and keep ecosystems healthy.
Unfortunately, pangolins are the most trafficked mammals in the world. This means that many people hunt them and sell them illegally. They are hunted for their meat and scales, which are used in traditional medicine in some cultures. Because of this, all eight species of pangolins are threatened with extinction. This means that they are in danger of disappearing from the Earth forever.
Fun facts about pangolins
- The pangolin belongs to the order Pholidota.
- The name "pangolin" comes from the Malay word "pengguling," which means "something that rolls up."
- Pangolins have no teeth.
- Young pangolins are born with scales.
- A pangolin's tongue can be longer than its body.
- Pangolins can close their ears and nostrils to keep ants out.
- Pangolins are the only mammals with scales.
Images for kids
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Pangolin skeletons at the Museum of Osteology (2009)
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Schematic drawing of pangolin scale histology
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A Philippine pangolin pup and its mother, a critically endangered species endemic to the Palawan island group. It is threatened by illegal poaching for the pangolin trade to China and Vietnam, where it is regarded as a luxury medicinal delicacy.
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Confiscated black market pangolin scales, which are in high demand in traditional Chinese medicine, set to be destroyed by authorities in Cameroon in 2017
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A coat of armor made of gilded pangolin scales from India, presented in 1875–76 to the then Prince of Wales, the later Edward VII.
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Pangolins (in rectangular cages) in an illegal wildlife market in Myanmar
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See also
In Spanish: Folidotos para niños
