How Do Pangolins Protect Themselves? Rolling Into a Ball

Rolling into an armored ball

The pangolin’s signature defense is rolling up, sometimes called volvation. When it senses danger and cannot escape, it curls its body, pulls its head down against its chest and wraps its thick, scaly tail over its face and belly. In seconds it becomes a tight ball with no soft parts showing.

Strong muscles hold the ball closed. A curled adult is very hard to unroll, even for a strong person, and predators find nothing to bite but slippery scales. Pangolins also sleep curled up during the day, so they are already protected while resting.

The name “pangolin” itself comes from a Malay word meaning roughly “one that rolls up”, first used for the Sunda pangolin of Southeast Asia.

Scales: armor made of keratin

The ball works because of the scales. They are made of keratin, the same protein as human fingernails, and they cover almost the whole upper body, legs and tail like the tiles on a roof. They grow throughout life, so scales worn down by digging are constantly replaced.

The rear edges of the scales are sharp. When an attacker bites or paws at a rolled pangolin, the edges can cut its mouth and feet, and the curled animal can tighten its muscles or shift its tail to make the grip even harder. The only unprotected areas are the face, belly and inner legs, which are covered in sparse hair and hidden once the animal is rolled up.

Pangolins are the only mammals with a full coat of large keratin scales, which is one reason they are often mistaken for reptiles. In fact they are mammals, as explained in are pangolins reptiles.

Other ways pangolins defend themselves

Rolling up is the last line of defense. Before that, pangolins use several other tactics:

• Escape: a pangolin that detects danger early will often run for a burrow, climb a tree or freeze to avoid being noticed. Most pangolins are active at night and rely mainly on their keen sense of smell, since their eyesight is poor.
• Hiding: ground-living species dig deep burrows, and tree-living species such as the Sunda pangolin rest in tree hollows or high in the branches, out of reach of many predators.
• Tail lashing: the muscular tail, armored with scales, can be swung at an attacker. Some species also use it to grip branches while climbing.
• Scent: glands near the base of the tail produce a strong-smelling secretion that the pangolin can release when frightened. It may help deter predators, although it is not sprayed in a jet like a skunk’s.

Pangolins also have thick eyelids and can close their nostrils, which protects them from the bites of ants and termites while they feed.

Which predators can get past the armor?

In Asia, the main natural predators are tigers and clouded leopards; in Africa, lions, leopards and spotted hyenas. Films and photos show big cats rolling, licking and biting curled-up pangolins, sometimes for many minutes, before giving up. Healthy adults usually survive such encounters.

Young and small pangolins are more vulnerable than large adults. Even so, few predators specialize in catching them. Their armor works well against the tiger and the leopard, whose teeth and claws are built for soft-skinned prey.

How mother pangolins protect their young

A newborn pangolin has soft, pale scales that take several days to harden, so it relies on its mother. If danger threatens, she curls around her baby, enclosing it inside her own armored ball.

As the young grows, it rides on the mother’s back or the base of her tail while she forages. If she rolls up, it can slip underneath and be sheltered too. After a few months the young is weaned and begins to rely on its own scales and instincts.

Why rolling up fails against people

The defense that protects pangolins from big cats is useless against humans. A poacher does not need to open the ball; they can simply pick it up and put it in a sack. Hunters often use dogs to find pangolins, which then curl up and wait instead of running.

This is a major reason pangolins have become the most trafficked wild mammals in the world, taken for their meat and for scales that are falsely believed to have medical value. The full story is in why are pangolins trafficked.

Rolling up in other animals

Pangolins are not the only animals that roll into a ball. Hedgehogs, some armadillos, pill bugs and certain millipedes do the same. Among armadillos, only the two three-banded species can roll into a complete ball; most others simply crouch. More on that is in can armadillos roll into a ball.