Pangolins are covered with large scales that, when they roll up into a ball, protects them from predators. They have long curved claws for breaking apart termite nests and a long sticky tongue -- 1.5 feet long, for catching ants and termites that they feed on at night. Their long, wide prehensile tail can grip like a hand so they can climb trees. They have a small, pointed head with no teeth. Are they a reptile or a mammal? They are mammals, having one baby after a 4.5-month pregnancy and nursing it with milk. Though they have scales instead of hair, the substance the scales are made of is not unlike hair! They are found in Africa and Asia and are sometimes called a spiny anteater.
John Peterson, Rochester, NY
