Credit: Nick Gordon / Gettyimages.com

Fun facts about the Black-Bellied Pangolin:

The black-bellied pangolin is the smallest of all the African pangolin species and spends most of its life in the trees.

Superbly adapted for climbing, the black-bellied pangolin possesses a tail that can be as long as 60 centimetres with a bare patch at the tip that helps it to grip tree branches.

Incredibly, the tail contains between 46 and 47 vertebrae, a record among mammals, and is strong enough to take the black-bellied pangolin’s entire body weight while dangling from tree branches.

While most pangolins are nocturnal, the black-bellied pangolin is also frequently active during the day, enabling it to forage without facing competition from the larger, Tree Pangolin.

When threatened, the black-bellied pangolin squirts a foul-smelling substance from its anal glands.

www.arkive.org/black-bellied-pangolin/uromanis-tetradactyla