Animals / pangolin-scale-structure
Facts about Pangolin Scale Structure
- 05
Hardened pangolin scales account for roughly 20 percent of the animal's total body weight, making them a significant physical investment.
- 04
The scales of pangolins grow continuously throughout the animal's life, replacing older scales through a process similar to hair and nail growth in other mammals.
- 03
Each pangolin has hundreds of individual scales arranged in rows that cover the entire body except for the soft underbelly, face, and inner limbs.
- 02
Overlapping pangolin scales function like armor by lying flat during normal movement but tightening together when the animal curls into a defensive ball.
- 01
Pangolin scales are made of keratin, the same protein that forms human fingernails and hair, making pangolins the only scaled mammals.