pangolin
When threatened, the pangolin (Malayan for “rolling over”) curls up or emits an odoriferous secretion. [1]
Sunda Pangolin known as Javan Pangolin and Scaly Anteater. [2]
The name “pangolin” comes from the Malay word pengguling, meaning “rolling over,” for the animal’s ability to roll itself into a ball. [3]
Despite its scaly appearance, the pangolin is not a reptile. [4]
The pangolin is a long-tailed, sticky-tongued tropical Old World (Asia and Africa) mammal. [5]
The weight of the protective keratinous scales and skin make up about 20% of the pangolin’s weight. [4]
Instead of having hair or quills, the pangolin is covered with overlapping scales that feel a bit like our fingernails. [3]
Any of about eight species of armoured placental mammals (genus Manis, order Pholidota) of tropical Asia and Africa. [1]
Walker’s Mammals of the World, Sixth Edition. [2]
The body is low to the ground and is covered with large, triangular, overlapping scales on the back, the sides, the outer sides of the limbs, and the entire tail. [1]
There is only one extant family (Manidae) and one genus (Manis) of pangolins, comprising eight species. [...] The scales, which are soft on newborn pangolins but harden as the animal matures, are made of keratin, the same material of which human fingernails and tetrapod claws are made. [6]
The Sunda Pangolin (Manis javanica), also known as the Malayan Pangolin, is a species of pangolin found in South-East Asia, including Thailand, Indonesia (Java, Sumatra, Borneo and the Lesser Sunda Islands), the Philippines, Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia, and Malaysia and Singapore. [2]
About eight species of pangolins, usually considered to be of the genus Manis, family Manidae, are found in tropical Asia. [5]
Pangolins have large keratin scales covering their skin and are the only mammals with this adaptation. [6]
Sources:
[1] pangolin: Definition from Answers.com
[2] Sunda Pangolin - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
[3] San Diego Zoo’s Animal Bytes: Tree Pangolin
[4] AWF: Wildlife: Pangolin
[5] What is a pangolin?
[6] Pangolin - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia