Layla and I have been watching David Attenborough's Life of Mammals series lately—today's episode touched on the Pangolin, found in areas of Africa and Asia.
I've never heard of the Pangolin before, but it's a fascinating creature. It's a lot like an anteater (with a narrow mouth, long tongue, and incredibly strong claws) but it grows scales and, in the case of the larger examples, doesn't use its front claws for walking. Balancing its body weight with its large scaled tail, it ambles up to termite mounds, rips them open, and then eats out the termites with its stickest saliva and proportionally longest tongue (to body length) in the animal kingdom.
Amazing animal. I'm astounded at some of the cool stuff that was never mentioned in my primary education.
Isnt that the thing from that movie "Tremors"?
Funny you bring that up. Another animal featured on the show was a sand mole that creates paths much like the things from Tremors.
--D