PANGOLINS

The shy , harmless pangolin is becoming increasingly well known for one reason: 
It’s believed to be the world’s most trafficked non - human mammal . Thousands of pangolins are
poached every year , killed for scales for use in traditional Chinese medicine and for their meat , a
delicacy among some ultra - wealthy in China and Vietnam . Pangolins scale are made of keratin , the
same material that makes up fingernails , hair and horn , have no proven medicinal value , yet they are
used in traditional Chinese medicine to help with ailments ranging from lactation difficulties to arthritis .
The scales typically dried and ground up into powder , which maybe turned into a pill . For many years
the Asian species were the primary target of poachers and traffickers . But now that their numbers have
been depleted , smugglers are increasingly turning to African pangolins . In two record - breaking
seizures in the space of a week in April 2019 Singapore seized a 14.2 ton shipment and a 14 ton shipment
of pangolin scales - from an estimated 72000 pangolins - coming from Nigeria . Pangolins are solitary
and active most at night . Most live on the ground , but some , like the black - bellied pangolin , also
climb trees .  Like anteaters pangolins have long snouts and even longer tongues , which they use to
lap up ants and termites they excavate from mounds with their powerful tongue claws . They are able to
close their noses and ears to keep ants out when they are eating . Though they look and act a lot like
anteaters and armadillos , pangolins are more closely related to bears , cats and dogs . The only time
pangolin spends together is when they mate and bear young . Some pangolin fathers will stay in den until
the single offspring is independent . Babies are born with soft scales which is harden in two days , but
they will ride on their mother’s tails until they are weaned at about three months . They reach sexual
maturity at about two years old . Pangolins day is celebrated on 6 February every year .

Thank you