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| Pangolins | |
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| Scientific classification | |
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| Order: | Pholidota |
| Family: | Manidae Gray, 1821 |
Pangolins (or scaly anteaters) are mammals which live in Africa and Asia. They have scales on their skin. They are the only mammals which have this adaptation.
There are three genera of pangolin, all of which eat ants and termites. They catch their food using their tongues, and they do not eat anything else. These scaled mammals are one of the most threatened groups of mammals. Unfortunately we know very little of their distribution in West African countries. Evidence of the white bellied pangolin (Phataginus tricuspis) has been found. No evidence of the giant pangolin (Smutsia gigantic) was found. Perhaps the giant pangolin no longer appears in West Africa.
Pangolins have features of armadillos (long, ant eating tongue and broad tail) and sloths (claws), but the pangolin is in a completely different order. The pangolin belongs to the order Pholidota.
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