Kasiisi - Project & Kibale Forest Schools Program - A Pine Cone with Legs!

Aug 23, 2026

Upload by Kyle

A pine cone with legs describes Kibale’s secretive pangolins: their armor-like keratin scales, protective curling behavior, and the impossibly long sticky tongue used to eat ants and termites. It explains key life-cycle traits, including a single annual pup and hitchhiking on the mother’s tail, plus scaly “ant eater” misconceptions and family ties to carnivores. Poaching threats and trafficking for scales are addressed, alongside practical actions to protect pangolins through awareness and responsible wildlife behavior.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages3

Reading Time8 min

AccessFree to download

The Kasiisi - Project & Kibale Forest Schools Program

A Pine Cone with Legs

Pangolin Facts

Protecting Pangolins

Keeping Wildlife Wild

Engage - Form and Function

The Kasiisi Project & Kibale Forest Schools Program A Pine Cone with Legs! As night falls on Kibale, one of its most secretive and unusual animals awakens and descends to the forest floor. Armed with large, overlapping scales, the pangolin could almost be mistaken for a large pine cone or artichoke were it not for its legs and long tail. It uses its extraordinarily long, sticky tongue to slurp ants and termites from a decaying log. Suddenly a leopard’s roar echoes through the forest. The pangolin quickly curls itself into a tight ball to wait out the danger. They’re roughly the size of a large house cat and the world’s only mammal covered in armor-like scales – hundreds of them! Just like your fingernails and arhinoceros’ horn, these scales are made of keratin and they cover the pangolin from the top of its head to the tip of its tail. Only its peach fuzz-covered belly is without scales. If scared, the pangolin will roll into a tight ball to protect this soft underside. A Scaly Ant Eater, but not an Anteater They’re often called a ‘scaly anteater’ because of their long snout and tongue. The pangolin’s tongue is so long it attaches to the end of its sternum, far into the abdomen. Your tongue, just as with most other animals, attaches to a bone inside your throat. Like anteaters, pangolins use this impossibly long tongue to lap ants and termites into their toothless mouths. While they share a few traits with anteaters, they’re actually more closely related to carnivores like bears, dogs and cats. There’s a Hitchhiker on Her Tail Most pangolins have only a single pup, once per year. At birth, the young pangolin’s scales are soft, but harden after a couple of days. When the baby is about a month old, it begins accompanying its mother as she forages, hitching a ride on her tail and holding tight with claws hooked under her scales. Over time, the pup begins to forage on its own and after a year, it will leave her for good as it sets out to find a mate. There are eight different kinds of pangolins. Kibale National Park is home to four of them! The other four live in Asia. AMAZING PANGOLIN FACTS The black-bellied pangolin--one of Uganda’s four species--is the only one with black skin. It also has 47 vertebrae in its tail. That’s more than in any other mammal! Like skunks, pangolins can make a big stink! They emit afoul-smelling liquid to mark their territories and to deter predators. It’s like a smelly“Keep Out” sign. Most female pangolins have only a single baby each year. The pangopup rides on her tail for the first 3 months. Once walking, the pangopup remains close to mom for another 2 years. Though pangolins share many characteristics with anteaters, they’re actually more closely related to carnivores like bears, cats and dogs. An orphaned pangopup Protecting Pangolins While pangolins have great defenses against their natural predators, they’re rather easy targets for poachers. They’re slow moving and when curled tightly in a ball, they’re easy to scoop up and drop in a bag. Up to 200,000 African and Asian pangolins are killed every year, mostly for their scales, which are mistakenly thought to cure various ailments. Experts say they’re the most trafficked, or illegally traded, mammal in the world. All eight species are in danger of extinction because of poaching. Protecting them is an international—and urgent—effort. There’s plenty we can do to help that cause, wherever we are, and lots of organizations are stepping up to the plate. Explore Want to help protect pangolins? Art is a great tool for spreading awareness and starting conversations around endangered species. Paint, draw or sculpt a pangolin and share with your family, friends and the community. Rachel Shaw, author of the children’s book Pipisin the Pangoln, shares step-by-step instructions to make fun pangolin-inspired crafts, including a pop-up card and a felt pangolin: [https://rachellshaw.wordpress](https://rachellshaw.word

FAQs

Why does the pangolin look like a pine cone, and what are its scales made of?

Its overlapping, armor-like scales cover its head to tail, making it resemble a pine cone or artichoke. The scales are made of keratin, and only the belly is without scales.

How do pangolins use their tongue to eat?

Their extremely long sticky tongue helps them lap ants and termites into their toothless mouths. The tongue attaches deep inside the body near the sternum.

What threats do pangolins face, and how can people help?

Poachers target pangolins because they are slow and easy to scoop up when curled. People can help by spreading awareness, sharing pangolin-themed art, and avoiding handling, feeding, or buying wild animals or their parts.

Aug 23, 2026

Upload by Kyle