What are pangolins, how long and where do they live, why are they hunted and what are their scales used for?
What is a Pangolin and why are they the world's most hunted and trafficked animal?
PANGOLINS are scaly anteaters and are critically endangered, appearing on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species.
The name Pangolin comes from the Malay word pengguling, meaning “one who rolls up”.
What are Pangolins?
The nocturnal mammal has large, hardened plate-like scales which overlap and are made from keratin, the same material as human fingernails.
The animal can curl up into a ball when attacked with its overlapping scales acting as armour as it puts its head under its tail.
The scales are also sharp, adding another layer of defence against any predator.
Pangolins can also emit a noxious-smelling chemical from glands near the anus, similar to the spray of a skunk.
They use their short legs, which have sharp claws to burrow into ant and termite mounds as well as for climbing.
Most of their diet consists of various species of ants and termites and may be supplemented by other insects, especially larvae.
Where can they be found?
They can be found in central and southern Africa as well as India and across southern Asia.
The world’s most hunted animal
Many places in Africa see Pangolins as a popular type of meat and healers also use them as a form of traditional medicine.
They are also highly-prized in places like China and Vietnam where the meat is considered a delicacy and some see the scales as having medicinal properties.
Over the past decade, over one million Pangolins are believed to have been illegally trafficked.
Rapid deforestation has also seen their natural habitat diminish.
Though Pangolins are protected by an international ban on their trade, populations have suffered from illegal trafficking due to unfounded beliefs in East Asia that their ground-up scales can stimulate lactation or cure cancer or asthma.
BBC2's Pangolins - The World's Most Wanted Animal, narrated by David Attenborough, airs on May 15 at 8pm.
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