Notes

-The name "pangolin" comes from the Malay word pengguling, meaning "something that rolls up".-The physical appearance of a pangolin is marked by large, hardened, overlapping plate-like scales, which are soft on newborn pangolins, but harden as the animal matures.-They are made of keratin, the same material of which human fingernails and tetrapod claws are made.-The pangolin's scaled body is comparable to a pine cone or globe artichoke.-It can curl up into a ball when threatened, with its overlapping scales acting as armor, while it protects its face by tucking it under its tail.-The scales are sharp, providing extra defense from predators.-Pangolins can also emit a noxious-smelling chemical similar to the spray of a skunk.-They have short legs, with sharp claws which they use for burrowing into termite and ant mounds, as well as climbing.-The tongues of pangolins are extremely long like those of the giant anteater and the tube-lipped nectar bat; the root of the tongue is not attached to their hyoid bone, but is located in the thorax between the sternum and the trachea.-Large pangolins can extend their tongues as much as 40 cm (16 in), with a diameter of only 0.5 cm (0.20 in).