What is pangolin? In case you've never heard that name, the pangolin it is a kind of mammal with scales, with the curious fact that its tongue is larger than its body.
It is found in environments characteristic of tropical zones, mainly in Asia It is Africa.
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Considered one of the most trafficked animals in the world, the pangolin is at risk of extinction. Alarming NGO numbers World Wide Fund For Nature (WWF) point out that between 2011 and 2013, about 234,000 animals were killed.
The indiscriminate hunting happens because the meat of the mammal is considered a delicacy in the Asian continent, mainly in Vietnam. The price per kilo reaches R$830.
The scale of the pangolin, which is made of keratin, is widely used for medicinal purposes in the belief that it helps in the treatment of people with cancer.
The handicraft also uses the scales of the small animal as raw material. mammal for making clothes and bags. The market value of these products can cost up to 1,500 dollars (R$ 5 thousand).
A pangolin anatomy it's quite quirky. With the body covered in scales, unusual for the class of mammals, the animal has a tongue larger than the body itself.
According to biologists, it is through this super language that the exotic species consumes around 7 million termites and ants each year, its main source of food.
The pangolin also does not have teeth in its mouth. Swallowing and dilution of food is done directly in the stomach. Many call it a mixture between armadillo and anteater.
One of the main pangolin characteristics it is in the mode of coexistence with the other species. The mammal is solitary and does not interact with others of its species except during mating periods and the first steps of the young.
An easy target for hunters, mainly due to its fragile appearance, the Pangolin's only defense is its hard and scaly carapace, which shrinks into a ball during attacks by predators.
Another peculiarity is in its tail. Quite elastic, it is through it that the animal manages to hang from trees and still carry its young.
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