pangolin

noun pan·go·lin \ ˈpaŋ-gə-lən , ˈpan- \

|Updated on: 11 Jul 2018

Definition of pangolin

: any of a family (Manidae of the order Pholidota) of Asian and African toothless mammals having the body covered dorsally with large imbricated horny scales — called also scaly anteater

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Recent Examples of pangolin from the Web

Since their launch in 2014, Canines for Conservation has completed over 200 busts of poached merchandise, homing in on ivory elephant tusks, pangolin scales, rhinoceros horns and more with 90 percent accuracy.

— katherine j. wu, Smithsonian, "It’s Pooches vs. Poachers in the Fight Against Wildlife Smugglers," 22 June 2018
Poaching of elephants, rhinoceroses and pangolins makes headlines almost every day.

— rachel nuwer, Scientific American, "Tracing Thailand’s Illegal Rosewood Trade," 15 Mar. 2018
Living animals tend to have tails with weapons that are made of keratin, like the quills of a porcupine or the scales of a pangolin.

— nicholas st. fleur, New York Times, "Where Did Animals With Tail Weapons Go? Here’s a Back Story," 16 Jan. 2018
There are three different species of anteater: the aardvark, the giant anteater and the pangolin.

— zoe sayler, Smithsonian, "What Aardvark Milk Reveals about the Evolution of Lactation," 21 Mar. 2018
One of the world’s most trafficked animals is the pangolin — for its meat and its scales, which are used for medicine.

— diane daniel, BostonGlobe.com, "How tourists can help prevent wildlife trafficking and poaching," 20 Mar. 2018
The pangolin, a mammal sometimes confused with the armadillo, has become one of the most trafficked animals.

— dionne searcey, New York Times, "Ivory Coast Arrests Six in Ring That Smuggled Parts of Elephants, Leopards and Pangolins," 25 Jan. 2018
The loot also contained a half of a ton of pangolin scales.

— dionne searcey, New York Times, "Ivory Coast Arrests Six in Ring That Smuggled Parts of Elephants, Leopards and Pangolins," 25 Jan. 2018
Rhinoceros horns, pangolin scales, turtles, and other exotic wildlife are still repeatedly smuggled through Thailand.

— tassanee vejpongsa, The Seattle Times, "Thai police arrest suspected kingpin of wildlife trafficking," 19 Jan. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'pangolin.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.