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Kingdom<\/strong>: Animalia<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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Class<\/strong>: Mammalia<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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Order<\/strong>: Pholidota<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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Family<\/strong>: Manidae<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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Genus<\/strong>: Manis<\/em><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Common Names<\/h4>\n
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Pangolin<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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Scaly Anteater<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
In some places, they are simply called “akika” or “ikin”, depending on the local language.<\/p>\n
Geographic Distribution<\/h4>\n
Pangolins are found in:<\/p>\n
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Africa (especially in forests and savannas)<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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Asia (from India to Southeast Asia)<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
They like warm places with lots of ants and termites.<\/p>\n
Physical Characteristics<\/h4>\n
Pangolins are covered in tough, overlapping scales made from keratin\u2014the same stuff as your fingernails.<\/p>\n
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Long, sticky tongues for eating ants<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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Sharp claws for digging into termite mounds<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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Curl into a tight ball when scared<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
<\/p>\n
Image showing a pangolin curled up defensively on forest floor (Source: Wildlife Matters)<\/em><\/p>\n
\u00a0Major species of Pangolins<\/h4>\n
1. African Ground Pangolin<\/strong><\/h5>\n
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Found in Central and Southern Africa<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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Walks on hind legs using tail for balance<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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Strong claws<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Key Facts:<\/strong><\/p>\n
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\u00a0Lives in savanna or woodland<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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\u00a0Medium size, up to 18kg<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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\u00a0Heavy armor for protection<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
![\"Eight](\"https:\/\/www.fauna-flora.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/AdobeStock_246102033_cropped-2-scaled.jpeg\")
Image showing an african ground pangolin standing on hind legs (Source: Fuana & Flora)<\/em><\/p>\n2. Asian Tree Pangolin<\/strong><\/h5>\n
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Found in Southeast Asia<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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Excellent climber<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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Often found in trees<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Key Facts:<\/strong><\/p>\n
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\u00a0Arboreal (lives in trees)<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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\u00a0Long sticky tongue for catching ants<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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\u00a0Nocturnal (active at night)<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
![\"Everything](\"https:\/\/www.bornfree.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/White-bellied-c-Sangha-Pangolin-Project-Maja-Gudehus-1024x768.jpg\")
Image showing an asian pangolin climbing a tree (Source: Born Free Foundation)<\/em><\/p>\nFun facts<\/h4>\n
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Pangolins have no teeth.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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They can eat up to 70 million insects per year.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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When threatened, they roll into a ball like a football.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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Pangolin scales are made of keratin, just like human hair and nails.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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Despite their armor, they are very shy and gentle animals.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
\u00a0Human relevance<\/h4>\n
Pangolins part of nature\u00a0 and they act by controlling insect populations. Sadly, they are usually hunted for their meat and scales, especially in illegal wildlife trade. Some people believe their scales have healing powers, but this is not scientifically proven.<\/p>\n
Health & common issues<\/h4>\n
Pangolins rarely show up at vet clinics, but in wildlife centers, they can suffer from:<\/p>\n
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Stress due to captivity<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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Infections if wounded or handled roughly<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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Malnutrition when fed the wrong diet<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Health Needs:<\/strong><\/p>\n
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Calm, quiet environment<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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Access to ants or termites<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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No sharp objects around to hurt their soft underbelly<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Conservation Status<\/h4>\n
All 8 species of pangolins are threatened, and some are critically endangered.<\/p>\n
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Major threats: Poaching, habitat loss, and illegal trade<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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Protected by international law, but illegal hunting continues<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
\u00a0Comparison: Pangolin vs Armadillo<\/h4>\n
\n\n\n\n
\n \nFeature<\/th>\n Pangolin<\/th>\n Armadillo<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n \n Found In<\/td>\n Africa & Asia<\/td>\n Americas<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Armor Type<\/td>\n Scales (keratin)<\/td>\n Bony plates<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Teeth<\/td>\n No teeth<\/td>\n Has teeth<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Diet<\/td>\n Insects<\/td>\n Insects & plants<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n \n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nVisit Doctor Hulk Veterinary Hospital to learn more about amazing animals like the pangolin and how we can all help protect them.\u00a0 You can also contact us via\u00a008143397614.<\/strong><\/p>\n
![\"100+](\"https:\/\/media.istockphoto.com\/id\/512705258\/photo\/pangolin-searching-for-ants.jpg?s=612x612&w=0&k=20&c=6W2nQ_DNzxrtr514i2YWWj5oTFPDW2HN9g_JwDPZ5II=\")
Image showing a pangolin walking in natural habitat under soft evening light (Source: iStock)<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Pangolins are some of the most unusual and misunderstood animals on the planet. With their scaly armor and shy behavior,<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":30730,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"product_brand":[],"product_cat":[166],"product_tag":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-29919","1":"product","2":"type-product","3":"status-publish","4":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"product_cat-p","8":"first","9":"instock","10":"shipping-taxable","11":"product-type-simple"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/doctorhulk.com\/zoopedia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product\/29919","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/doctorhulk.com\/zoopedia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/doctorhulk.com\/zoopedia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/product"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/doctorhulk.com\/zoopedia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29919"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/doctorhulk.com\/zoopedia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product\/29919\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30840,"href":"https:\/\/doctorhulk.com\/zoopedia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product\/29919\/revisions\/30840"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/doctorhulk.com\/zoopedia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/30730"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/doctorhulk.com\/zoopedia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29919"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"product_brand","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/doctorhulk.com\/zoopedia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_brand?post=29919"},{"taxonomy":"product_cat","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/doctorhulk.com\/zoopedia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_cat?post=29919"},{"taxonomy":"product_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/doctorhulk.com\/zoopedia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_tag?post=29919"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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