Pangolins - The most trafficked mammal in the world

These ant-eating cuties are truly amazing creatures. With protective scales along their back and the ability to roll into a ball when they feel threatened. They have long tongues but no teeth! And perhaps the sweetest thing of all… their babies are called pangopups!

There are eight different species of pangolin. Four species are native to Africa: the Black-bellied pangolin, White-bellied pangolin, Giant Ground pangolin, and Temminck's Ground pangolin. The remaining four species are found in Asia: the Indian pangolin, Philippine pangolin, Sunda pangolin, and Chinese pangolin.

Pangolins face many hardships due to the illegal wildlife trade. Even though their scales are made of keratin (the same as our hair and nails), people mistakenly believe they have medicinal healing properties and are illegally used in traditional Chinese medicine, despite the lack of scientific evidence to support these claims. Sadly, pangolins are seen as a delicacy in some countries and are killed for their meat, which has contributed to a significant decline in their population. 

Shockingly, some even use pangolins to make bags and belts in the United States (as if we need to start killing more animals for fashion)!

The good news is that many organisations are working to protect these incredible creatures, including World Wildlife Fund and Save Pangolins.

We hope to help raise awareness about pangolins, as they are at risk of extinction.

Photo by Studio Crevettes on Unsplash