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Pangolins, like the African white-bellied pangolin shown here, roll into a ball when they feel threatened. The eight pangolin species are the only truly scaly mammals in the world. [Read full story]
Conservationists warn that pangolins, or scaly anteaters, could be eaten out of existence if illegal hunting and poaching continues. In the latest update of the Red List of Threatened Species, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) downgraded its outlook for all eight species of pangolins found across Asia and Africa. [Read full story]
Cape Pangolin
(Image credit: Darren Pietersen)
The Cape pangolin, once a species of least concern to conservationists, is now listed as "vulnerable." The population, which lives in eastern and southern Africa, is increasingly hunted to meet the growing demand for pangolin meat and scales in Asia. [Read full story]
Pangolin Scales
(Image credit: Dan Challender)
Fried pangolin is sold in markets in East Asia. In traditional Chinese medicine, pangolin scales are also believed to treat a variety of ails from psoriasis to poor circulation. [Read full story]
Some pangolin species are eaten as bushmeat. [Read full story]
White-Bellied Pangolin
(Image credit: Pangolin Specialist Group)
The African white-bellied pangolin is the most common pangolin in Africa. Now listed as vulnerable on the IUCN's list of threatened species, the creature is thought to be declining in Ghana and Guinea, and close to extinction in Rwanda. [Read full story]
Armored Ball
(Image credit: Pangolin Specialist Group)
Pangolins, like the African white-bellied pangolin shown here, roll into a ball when they feel threatened. The eight pangolin species are the only truly scaly mammals in the world. [Read full story]
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Megan has been writing for Live Science and Space.com since 2012. Her interests range from archaeology to space exploration, and she has a bachelor's degree in English and art history from New York University. Megan spent two years as a reporter on the national desk at NewsCore. She has watched dinosaur auctions, witnessed rocket launches, licked ancient pottery sherds in Cyprus and flown in zero gravity. Follow her on Twitter and Google+.
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