Welcome to Fast Facts with Reasons for Hope!
I’m Carl Kerby. We’re looking at the only mammal in the world that’s covered from head to toe in keratin scales – the pangolin.
These scales are similar to human fingernails and amount to 20% of their body weight. They also play a huge part of the pangolin’s protection. Since the scales are colored pale brown or dark olive, they offer the perfect camouflage for their environment.
The scales also overlap, so whenever a pangolin is threatened, they’ll roll up into a tight impenetrable ball. Not even the jaws of a lion or tiger can crack through these hard scales! That’s impressive! When in this ball, the pangolin will hiss, puff, and lash out with their sharp scaled tail to deter predators. They’ll also release a stinky fluid to help scare them away.
And that’s just one fantastic feature – hope to see you next time with even more Fast Facts with Reasons for Hope. Until then … stay bold!
Carl Kerby is the founder of Reasons for Hope and co-creator of the DeBunked apologetic video series. His radio feature, Fast Facts, is heard weekly on VCY America, Saturdays at 9:25 AM Central.
