The Pangolin is a Unique Design
The pangolin is a unique design, with large scales covering most of its body, with the main exception of its underside and face. The pangolin is the only scaly mammal in the world, mostly covered in hard, sharp, overlapping scales and it has a long tail. The scales make up 20 percent of its body weight. The pangolin average length is four feet and weighs from four to 72 pounds. Pangolin scales are made of keratin, which is also found in fingernails, hair, and horns. The pangolin is shy and harmless, a loner, and nocturnal. Pangolins usually only meet together to mate and raise young. Baby pangolins ride their mother's back or tail for a few months. Most varieties are found on the ground, but some climb trees and use their tail as a fifth limb, which has a soft pad on the tip. The pangolin name means "scaly anteater" or "roller." Pangolins also have more vertebrae than any other animal. The tail can have up to 47 vertebrae, more than any other animal. Humans have only 33 vertebrae in the entire body. Pangolins are also good swimmers. Pangolins also often unusually walk on their back two feet, keeping their front two paws above ground.
Similar to anteaters, pangolins have long snouts and very long, sticky tongues, which they use to eat ants and termites. Its tongue can be longer than its body, up to 40 cm (15 inches) long, and extends in its body all the way to the pelvis below the ribs. In addition, the pangolin has no teeth and swallows its prey whole. It is also known to swallow stones that help grind up food in their stomach, which is also lined with spines. The pangolin has a strong sense of smell that it uses to find the ants and termites, however their vision and hearing is not as good. A single pangolin can consume more than 20,000 ants or insects in a day and 70 million insects per year. The pangolin has a specialized diet that makes it difficult to keep in captivity.
In addition, their powerful front claws, three on each foot, help them dig through ant mounds and help some species climb trees. Tree-climbing pangolins have claws on their back feet also. Pangolins can even close their nose and ears when eating ants to stop them from going inside. While the pangolin has many similarities to the anteater, armadillo, and sloth, mainstream scientists believe that the pangolin is somehow related to the carnivorous bears, cats, and dogs. The evolutionary tree for the pangolin is difficult, and creationists believe that the pangolin is a uniquely designed animal, mainly because of its scales that no other mammal has along with its unique anatomy and behavior. Evolutionists must explain the origin of the unique anatomy, including body-covering scales, the long tongue, and the vertebrae.
Defense mechanisms of the pangolin include its behavior of rolling its body into a impenetrable ball shape when threatened, which help protect its non-scaly underside and face that is more vulnerable to injury and infection. The only predators that can break through the ball are big cats and sometimes hyenas. However, often big cats will walk away from the near-impenetrable pangolin ball. Its sharp scales on its body help protect against predators. In addition, pangolins can release a smelly fluid from their tails which is produced by a certain gland to ward off predators and mark their territory. Its scales can also help protect the anteater from injury and help its immune system.
The pangolin is believed to be the world's most trafficked non-human mammal. Thousands of pangolins are poached every year, (over one million in the last 10 years) mainly for their scales that are believed to have medicinal value in Asia, but this has not been proven by mainstream medical science. Pangolin meat is also a delicacy in Asia, and this has made the pangolin an endangered species in the world with declining populations. Of the eight species of pangolin, four live in Asia and are labelled as critically endangered. The four species that live in Africa are labelled as vulnerable and efforts are underway to save and protect the pangolin from extinction. However, as the Asian pangolin population has become critically endangered, smugglers have turned to Africa, where the pangolin population is slightly less endangered.
The pangolin is a unique design, with large scales covering most of its body, with the main exception of its underside and face. The pangolin is the only scaly mammal in the world, mostly covered in hard, sharp, overlapping scales and it has a long tail. The scales make up 20 percent of its body weight. The pangolin average length is four feet and weighs from four to 72 pounds. Pangolin scales are made of keratin, which is also found in fingernails, hair, and horns. The pangolin is shy and harmless, a loner, and nocturnal. Pangolins usually only meet together to mate and raise young. Baby pangolins ride their mother's back or tail for a few months. Most varieties are found on the ground, but some climb trees and use their tail as a fifth limb, which has a soft pad on the tip. The pangolin name means "scaly anteater" or "roller." Pangolins also have more vertebrae than any other animal. The tail can have up to 47 vertebrae, more than any other animal. Humans have only 33 vertebrae in the entire body. Pangolins are also good swimmers. Pangolins also often unusually walk on their back two feet, keeping their front two paws above ground.
Similar to anteaters, pangolins have long snouts and very long, sticky tongues, which they use to eat ants and termites. Its tongue can be longer than its body, up to 40 cm (15 inches) long, and extends in its body all the way to the pelvis below the ribs. In addition, the pangolin has no teeth and swallows its prey whole. It is also known to swallow stones that help grind up food in their stomach, which is also lined with spines. The pangolin has a strong sense of smell that it uses to find the ants and termites, however their vision and hearing is not as good. A single pangolin can consume more than 20,000 ants or insects in a day and 70 million insects per year. The pangolin has a specialized diet that makes it difficult to keep in captivity.
In addition, their powerful front claws, three on each foot, help them dig through ant mounds and help some species climb trees. Tree-climbing pangolins have claws on their back feet also. Pangolins can even close their nose and ears when eating ants to stop them from going inside. While the pangolin has many similarities to the anteater, armadillo, and sloth, mainstream scientists believe that the pangolin is somehow related to the carnivorous bears, cats, and dogs. The evolutionary tree for the pangolin is difficult, and creationists believe that the pangolin is a uniquely designed animal, mainly because of its scales that no other mammal has along with its unique anatomy and behavior. Evolutionists must explain the origin of the unique anatomy, including body-covering scales, the long tongue, and the vertebrae.
Defense mechanisms of the pangolin include its behavior of rolling its body into a impenetrable ball shape when threatened, which help protect its non-scaly underside and face that is more vulnerable to injury and infection. The only predators that can break through the ball are big cats and sometimes hyenas. However, often big cats will walk away from the near-impenetrable pangolin ball. Its sharp scales on its body help protect against predators. In addition, pangolins can release a smelly fluid from their tails which is produced by a certain gland to ward off predators and mark their territory. Its scales can also help protect the anteater from injury and help its immune system.
The pangolin is believed to be the world's most trafficked non-human mammal. Thousands of pangolins are poached every year, (over one million in the last 10 years) mainly for their scales that are believed to have medicinal value in Asia, but this has not been proven by mainstream medical science. Pangolin meat is also a delicacy in Asia, and this has made the pangolin an endangered species in the world with declining populations. Of the eight species of pangolin, four live in Asia and are labelled as critically endangered. The four species that live in Africa are labelled as vulnerable and efforts are underway to save and protect the pangolin from extinction. However, as the Asian pangolin population has become critically endangered, smugglers have turned to Africa, where the pangolin population is slightly less endangered.
