Sometimes babies eat bugs, and sometimes the cutest babies only eat bugs. Such is the case with the baby pangolin, an anteater that’s just a little armor plated tank of cuteness. A native of Asia and Africa’s more tropical regions, the pangolin survives off of an obvious diet of ants, and is known for its ability to curl up into a ball of scales (its scales are made of keratin) when threatened. Also when threatened, these little babies, like all babies, can get pretty stinky. Much like the skunk, the pangolin can emit a noxious gas from its rear when it feels threatened. As good as they are at keeping themselves safe (they also have sharp tails that they use for defense), they’re equally as bad at walking. They have extremely long claws, which force them to walk with their front feet curled under. These claws help them climb though, and they can often be seen hanging out in trees; some species even strip tree bark in order to catch food. Like all anteaters, they have extremely long tongues that they use to lick up ants from inside their hills, in crevasses, and at longer distances. Perhaps the cutest feature of this group of animals, is their practice of clinging to their mother’s tail during their first few weeks of life. However, in burrowing species, the newborns are kept in the burrow during this time. Some popular species include the tree pangolin, the Chinese pangolin, and the long tailed pangolin.
