A small, shy mammal that spends most of its life in the trees of West and Central African rainforests. At first glance, it looks like a little dragon: its body is covered in overlapping scales, while its underside is dark and mostly bare, which is why people also say “black-bellied.” The star feature is the very long tail. The tip has a bare, grippy pad, so the tail works like a fifth hand. With it, the pangolin can hang, turn, and reach along vines as it searches for food. Its front claws are long and curved, perfect for peeling bark and opening rotten wood. To protect those claws, it often walks on its knuckles, leaving funny, side-footed tracks on branches.
Unlike many other pangolins that roam the ground at night, the long-tailed pangolin is mostly a daytime climber. It follows quiet routes from tree to tree, pausing to sniff and listen. It does not have teeth. Instead, it uses a very long, sticky tongue—so long it folds back into the chest when not in use—to slurp up ants (and sometimes termites). When ants fight back, this little acrobat shuts its ears and nostrils like tiny doors and lets its tough eyelids shield its eyes. Inside its belly, bits of swallowed grit help mash the meals, the way small stones help some birds grind food.
If danger shows up—a tree-climbing snake, a monkey, or a raptor—the pair can curl into a tight ball with the youngster tucked inside, the scales clicking softly as they lock in place. The long-tailed pangolin also “talks” with smell. A scent gland near the tail makes a musky perfume it uses to mark favorite trees and let other pangolins know who’s around. You might not see one even if it’s nearby; in the dim, green light of the forest, its brown scales and slow, careful movements make it blend in perfectly.
Distribution
Angola
Cameroon
Central Af. Rep.
Congo-Brazzaville
Côte D’ivoire
DR Congo (Kinshasa)
Equatorial Guinea
Gabon
Ghana
Guinea
Liberia
Nigeria
Sierra Leone
UgandaAnything we've missed?
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Terrestrial / Aquatic
Altricial / Precocial
Polygamous / Monogamous
Dimorphic (size) / Monomorphic
Active: Diurnal / Nocturnal
Social behavior: Solitary / Pack / Herd
Diet: Carnivore / Herbivore / Omnivore / Piscivorous / Insectivore
Migratory: Yes / No
Domesticated: Yes / No
Dangerous: Yes / No
