I had never seen a pangolin before I started working with them in Mozambique’s Gorongosa national park. They are the only mammal in the world covered with scales. I think they are so handsome – just seeing them makes me fall in love.
If you have never seen a pangolin, they have a cone-shaped head and snout, four short legs, small eyes and a brilliant sense of smell. Their front claws are long to help them dig for food in the ground. They have a long sticky tongue but no teeth. When they feel threatened, they curl up in a ball to protect the parts of their bodies that do not have scales.
