Armored pangolin Bashny.Net

For the first time he saw pangolin (lat. Pholidota), you can decide what is in front of you a battleship, but this is completely different animals. Pangolin - it lizards, which belong to a number of placental mammals. Lizards name comes from the word "pengguling", which translated from Malay means - "to curl into a ball." The fact is that when there is a risk pangolin is often rolled into a ball.

This name in Latin sounds like Pholidota. Lizards of this kind often have a body length of 30 to 88 centimeters, the size of the tail often corresponds to the size of the body. The mammal is significantly different from their relatives appearance.

In the world, there are just 8 species of "dragon-hedgehogs" (let's call them so jokingly). Some of them - 4 types - lives in South and sub-Saharan Africa, and the rest - in Southeast Asia.

Each type is unique in its own way. So now we have a quick rundown of the general characteristics of pangolin, and then talk about each separately.

These animals are very long tail, sometimes it may exceed the length of the body of the animal. The whole upper part of the body, starting from the middle of the muzzle and ending with the tip of the tail, covered with dense rows of horny plates gray-brown or brownish-yellow color. This arrangement allows the animal scales, despite his clumsiness, quickly roll up into a ball. "Unprotected" are only the nose, belly and the inner surface of the legs. These places are covered with short stiff sparse fur.

The rear edge of each scale is pointed. Over time, they can be erased, but in their place are new. The number of scales remains unchanged. This "dragon" cover has a purely protective function and has nothing to do with the horn cover reptiles, such as crocodiles.

Eat pangolins exclusively ants and termites, maybe that's why they are slightly outwardly similar to anteaters, especially elongated snout and small mouth opening. Like all animals with insectivorous diet, pangolin long tongue and sticky. Its length is about 40 cm. Adductor tongue action already tested through the thorax and the pelvis reach.

Zubov had not, so to grind living food, the stomach wall covered with epithelium horny horny growths. Additionally, lizard swallow pebbles can also facilitate shredding food.

The food they get, breaking the wall of ant hills with their powerful clawed paws. But that's not all. It turns out that saliva pangolin is very attractive to ants, and they come running to her like honey.

Small eyes are covered with thick eyelids, which is an excellent protection against the encroachments of ants and termites. In sight and hearing lizard can not count, but the sense of smell is excellent at it.

Pangolin - nocturnal. Living in deep holes or hollows. Some species are well climb trees. To move fairly slowly - no more than 3, 5 - 5 km / h. Therefore, when there is a threat they curl up into a ball and cover your head a powerful tail. To deploy them, require sufficient strength and dexterity. It can only do large and powerful predators, such as leopards or tigers. Another protective agent pangolin is smelly secret discharged from the anal glands.

Their exotic appearance will be an excellent attraction for people. Locals catch them not only for their meat, which tastes like pork, but for the most part for the shell and skin flakes. Besides their horny plates some people attribute miraculous power - protection against attacks of lions and others - protection against witchcraft and disease.

These animals are solitary, but sometimes you can meet a female with a small cub on a back. Progeny bring once a year, usually in winter. Pregnancy lasts about 4-5 months. African pangolins often give birth to one cub, and Asian - from 1 to 3. The kid is born well-developed, but hairless and with soft bristles that are a few days begin to harden.

Like all mammals, the first period of his life young pangolin fed their mother's milk, and a month later transferred to insectivorous food. In case of danger, the mother quickly hides her child in a "ring" of his own body.

In 2012, the Thai customs officials look at pangolin during a press conference in Bangkok, Thailand. Customs officers rescued 138 endangered pangolins worth $ 46,000, which is about to take out and eat. (Apichart Weerawong / Associated Press)

Two rescued pangolin sitting in a basket, Bangkok, Thailand. (Sakchai Lalit / Associated Press)

Pangolin can easily stand on their hind legs in order to consider the terrain well. However, their main support is the tail. In case of danger at the pangolin triggered a defensive reaction. They do not just curl up in a ball, but also emit an unpleasant odor, which serves to repel the enemy. If pangolin twisted together into a ball, it is difficult to expand.

Pangolin is quite difficult to keep in captivity, as the main food of lizards is only a few species of insects. In the stomach, the lizard can be from 150 to 2000, a variety of insects and termites.