The pangolin is not an anteater but he resembles one because he, too, eats ants.
Native to Africa and Asia, pangolins feed on ants and termites by digging up their colonies. It’s a painful business without protection so the pangolin’s body has built-in defenses against biting, swarming ants (shown in the video).
Pangolins are protected against ants but they’re at the mercy of humans. Their meat is a delicacy in China and Vietnam and their scales are used in Asian medicine. They’re hunted illegally until extirpated, even in parts of Africa. As a species they’re in severe decline.
Four years ago the Western world began to take notice: the pangolin needs protection. This 2014 article lists 7 Ways to Help Save the Pangolin. Read an update at the World Wildlife Fund.
(YouTube video from National Geographic Wild; click on the YouTube icon to see it full screen)
There’s a relatively famous poem by Marianne Moore called “The Pangolin.”
Moore was mentor to Elizabeth Bishop, who became a close friend of Robert Lowell.
So, Moore’s poem (not a favorite of mine) ultimately led to two absolutely stunning poems: Bishop’s “The Armadillo” and Lowell’s response in “Skunk Hour.”