Pangolin Trivia Questions

All eight species are protected, yet tens of thousands are poached annually—more than any other mammal—for traditional medicine and bushmeat.

Their overlapping scales are composed of keratin, the same protein found in human hair, nails, and rhino horn—not bone or chitin.

The scales are primarily used in traditional Chinese medicine for conditions like poor circulation and arthritis, not as an aphrodisiac—that’s a common myth.

While a pangolin’s ball is effective against many predators, large cats like lions have been observed flipping and breaking them open with their jaws.

They lack teeth entirely and ingest grit and pebbles, which act as gastroliths to mechanically digest ants and termites in their muscular stomach.

Pangolins can swim, but they don’t inflate their stomachs. They paddle with their tail and forelimbs, though they are not particularly strong swimmers.

When threatened, pangolins can eject a pungent, acidic secretion from glands near the anus to deter predators, much like skunks do.

Pangolins belong to the order Pholidota, and genetic studies show they share a common ancestor with Carnivora (cats, dogs) rather than with Xenarthra (armadillos, anteaters).