February 16 – World Pangolin Day

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nPangolins are sometimes called scaly anteaters. And scientists once thought that pangolins were closely related to anteaters and armadillos – they kinda sorta resemble them, don’t you think?
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Above, anteater. Below, armadillo.

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nBut it turns out that pangolins are more closely related to Carnivora, a group of mammals that includes dogs, wolves, cats, lions, hyenas, bears, seals, and other meat-eating creatures. We know this because of DNA evidence.
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nSo…why do pangolins look more like anteaters than like bears?
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nCreatures evolve (gradually change over time) because some traits enable them to succeed in living and having babies and passing on their genes. Those favorable traits become more common in populations, and many creatures end up being sort of specialists in a particular “niche.”
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nA niche is a particular lifestyle in a particular environment. Since there are eight different species of pangolins living in Asia and Africa, pangolins don’t all live in exactly the same environment, but they all live in forests or grasslands, and their specialty (or niche) is eating ants and termites.
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Pangolins have a lot in common with anteaters – even though they aren’t closely related – because they have similar niches. Both creatures have long, narrow snouts – the better to get into anthills and termite towers – and they both have long, sticky tongues – the better to actually snag ants and termites. Neither of these mammals have teeth; they swallow their tiny prey whole. 

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Above, pangolin tongue. Below, anteater tongue.

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nPangolins are similar to armadillos because both have armor, of sorts. Pangolins have hard, overlapping scales made of keratin (the same stuff that makes hair, fingernails, claws, hooves, and horns). Armadillos have a tough, leathery shell (also made of keratin!) that is patterned as if it were scales – but it’s not made of separate scales. 
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Above, pangolin armor. Below, armadillo armor.

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nAlso, both creatures roll up into balls when they are threatened!
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Above, ball o’ pangolin. Below, ball o’ armadillo!

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nThese similar protective strategies work for a creature who isn’t super running away from predators – like, say, an antelope –
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n– for a creature who isn’t enormous – like, say, a giraffe or elephant –
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n– for a creature who doesn’t live in large herds and count on confusing coloration to muddle predators – like a zebra –
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n– for a creature that isn’t covered with sharp quills – like a porcupine –
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n– for a creature that isn’t armed with unpleasant stink to shoot at predators – like a skunk –
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nThere are lots of different strategies to try to avoid becoming someone’s dinner, and although the roll-into-a-ball-and-wait-it-out strategy is unusual among mammals, it works fairly well for pangolins and armadillos.
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nAlso on this date:
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nAnniversary of the patent for nylon  

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nNational Almond Day

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nBrigadier General Anna Mae Hays’s birthday

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nAnniversary of the opening of King Tut’s burial chamber

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nLithuania’s Independence Day

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nAnniversary of the first Esperanto club in the U.S.

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nFirst 9-1-1 Call

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nBirthday of chess champion Vera Menchik

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nWorld Whale Day

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n(Third Saturday in February)

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nPlan ahead:

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nCheck out my Pinterest boards for:

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• nFebruary holidays

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• nFebruary birthdays

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• nHistorical anniversaries in February
  

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nAnd here are my Pinterest boards for:

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• nMarch holidays

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• nMarch birthdays

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• nHistorical anniversaries in March

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