Pangolin: an incredibly cute beast in the form of an armored pangolin

Several species of pangolins, united in the same genus, inhabit Africa to the south of the Sahara and the regions of South-East Asia. These animals, belonging to the class of mammals, are somewhat similar to anteaters and armadillos. A distinctive feature of pangolins are strong horny plates covering almost the entire body. The basis of these plates is keratin - a substance that is part of the hair and horns.

In Malay, the word pangolin means "folding into a ball". This is the best way to characterize the position that the animal takes in case of danger. Only large predators, such as tigers or lions, are able to deploy this strong ball. But in this case the pangolin will still fight for its life. Lizards have special glands containing a liquid with a hideous smell. Like a skunk, they throw a stinking mixture into the face of the enemy, and more often than not it saves their lives.

Pangolins are very slow animals, which lead mostly twilight and nightlife. In this case, the pangolins are very interesting to move, often using only the hind legs for this, and the front ones are tucked in as unnecessary.

Unusual appearance and surprising structure of internal organs are largely due to nutrition. The terrible beast prefers exclusively termites and ants, which it mines, ruining their homes. Therefore, his tongue has a length of up to 40 centimeters, while the size of the animal itself is about 80-90 centimeters. The surprisingly long and flexible body is able to penetrate the narrowest passages of termiteurs and anthills and to fish out insects that have become obscured. It is interesting that the saliva of pangolins has an attractive smell for insects. In order to help a flexible language, the pangolin has clawed legs that allow it to destroy anthills and termites without problems.

Pangolin is so closely connected with his ancestors ants that even arranges hygienic procedures with their participation. Horny plates, small eyes and stomach lined with thick epithelium, contribute to the protection of pangolin from the bites of furious insects. But when pangolin needs to get rid of parasites, it opens its scales near the ruined anthill. Angry insects make their way to the skin, bite the beast, while secreting formic acid. It's for her sake that the pangolin suffers all these troubles. The acid kills the parasites that live on the body, and when the procedure comes to an end, the cunning animal closes the plates, thereby depriving the life of its deliverers.