PANGOLIN

Pangolins, sometimes called scaly anteaters, are covered with protective horny, overlapping scales.Pangolins have small heads and long, broad tails. They are toothless and have no externalears, although their hearing is good. Their sense of scent is well-developed, but their sight ispoor. The weight of the scales and skin make up about 20 percent of the pangolin's weight.Pangolins are nocturnal and remain in their burrows during the day. All pangolins are able to rollthemselves into a ball to defend themselves, and it takes considerable force to unroll them. Leopards and other large animals such as hyenas occasionally prey on pangolins.Although pangolins gather up surface ants and termites, termite nests provide larger and moreconcentrated sources of food. Pangolins dig the insects from mounds with their claws and usetheir extremely long tongues (up to 16 inches in larger pangolins) to eat them

If you've never heard of a Pangolin, don't worry. It is one of the rarest mammals on earth, after all. Until recently, there were only two pangolins in captivity. And they lived in Taiwan. Now there is a third and it is right here in North America. The little fella is now living at the Los Angeles zoo. It ended up there after an American couple tried to bring it into the U-S from Africa, its home continent.Kelly Green is caring for the Pangolin. She is a keeper at the L-A Zoo.