Scale-covered, ant-eating mammals of Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, also called scaly anteaters. They are nocturnal and solitary, and raise their one to three young for about two years.
Quick answers
What is it?Mammal
Carnivore?Insects only
Dangerous?No
Domesticated?No
Awake when?Night
Nocturnal, feeding mainly on ants and termites.
Hibernates?No
Kept as a pet?No
Do people eat it?In places
Pangolins are poached for their meat and for their scales, which are used in traditional medicine.
At a glance
Found inAfrica, Asia
HabitatForest, Grassland, Rainforest
ColoursBrown
SizeMedium
Length30–100 cm
Legs4
Covered inScales
Lives alone
Lives for15–20 years
Can swim
In the wild
- Where it lives
- Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.
- What it eats
- Mainly ants and termites, caught with a long tongue.
Did you know
The most trafficked mammal in the world.
Three species are critically endangered, and all eight assessed species are in a threatened category.
Often confused with
- Anteater
Pangolins are sometimes called scaly anteaters, but true anteaters have fur and live in the Americas.
Compare side by side
On these lists
Sources
Last reviewed
Play
Could you have guessed it?
A photo, a few hints, one guess. Same 438 animals.
