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Pangolin
This unusual creature is a pangolin, also known as a scaly anteater. These unique animals are the world’s only scaled mammals, and curl into a tight ball when threated.
There are eight species, four native to Asia, and four native to sub-Saharan Africa. This species is Manis javanica, the Sunda pangolin, found in Southeast Asia. Pangolins have no teeth, but a long and sticky tongue, and although their eyesight is poor their sense of smell is highly developed. They have powerful claws, used to dig up ant nests and termite mounds. Unfortunately, the pangolin is critically endangered, with poaching for skin, scales and meat making these animals the most illegally trafficked mammals in the world. The IUCN Species Survival Commission (SSC) Pangolin Specialist Group is leading conservation efforts in an attempt to preserve these extraordinary creatures.