Pangolin Vs Armadillo Faceoff: Differences Between Predators Revealed!

There is hardly a chance to witness a fight between an armadillo and a pangolin as both of these animals are more defensive than offensive.

Also, it's unlikely for these two to ever cross paths as their habitat areas are on different continents. While pangolins roam around in both Africa and Asia, armadillos belong to the grounds of South and North America.

Pangolins with their hard scales can sometimes defend themselves even from hyenas, although large cats can prey on them. These scales are not bulletproof and that is one of the reasons why humans easily hunt and kill them. Pangolins are consumed as food and are also used in various fields like fashion and traditional medicines.

What is the difference between a pangolin and an armadillo?

A pangolin and an armadillo both are mammals and possess a protective shell made of keratin scales around their body. But both of these are uniquely different animals, by origin, they belong to different orders. While pangolins come from the order Pholidota, armadillos come from the order Cingulata.

Pangolins are found in southern Africa and Asia and live on trees or burrows in the ground. They are an endangered species because they are hunted for their meat.

They can grow up to 4.5 ft (1.3 m) long and weigh 4-72 lb (1.8-32.6 kg) and usually are smaller in size than a typical armadillo. They climb trees using their tails and sometimes walk on hind legs.

A pangolin uses its great sense of smell and sticky tongue to feed on prey like insects, ants, and termites. It swallows food whole as it has no teeth.

Pangolins have scaly armor with large interlocking scales covering their body. When threatened they curl into a ball and also eject a noxious chemical from evolved glands near the anus.

Armadillos prefer exclusively underground habitats in South and North America. They are 4.9 ft (1.4 m) long weighing up to 119 lb (54 kg) and have many predators.

They can walk underwater while holding their breath for up to six mins. An armadillo munches on its food like ants and termites and other insects using both its teeth and tongue. It has a protective bony armor on its body in form of bands.

An armadillo usually flees predators into the cover or digs away to safety with its sharp claws. Some species of this animal curl into a ball and use the bony shell to protect themselves.

Is Sandshrew a pangolin or armadillo?

Sandshrew is a popular ground-type Pokémon that is often associated with pangolins or armadillos. It has a hard brick-like pelt that protects its softer underbelly.

It also helps with camouflaging with the environment because of its yellow color and dry scaly texture. It is bipedal with three sharp claws on its paws and two on each foot and also has a conical tail. But examining its behavior confirms that it is inspired by a pangolin.

From savannas to forests, pangolins are found in variable habitats across Africa and Southeast Asia. Some species prefer sandy soil and live in burrows.

Sandshrew is one of the underground ones that live in burrows and visit the surface to hunt insects. Like a pangolin, it curls into a ball when feels threatened and protects itself from injuries.

It also throws sands on opponents in a fight as the desert is one of its preferred habitats.

Even though some species of pangolins are great swimmers, Sandshrew particularly doesn't like water but like pangolins, it creates its nest by digging tunnels using its foreclaws. One of the major differences Sandshrew has with an armadillo is that its body is covered in scales, while an armadillo has a bony shell-like armor.

What are pangolins' closest relatives?

Pangolins are mammals who were considered to be closely related to Xenarthra, which includes armadillos, anteaters, and sloths to form the group Edentata. Pangolins have often been thought to be related to dinosaurs but that stands untrue as dinosaurs were reptiles.

Comparing the protein and DNA sequences, scientists have found a close relationship between the orders Carnivora and Pholidota. Animals belonging to these two orders share both morphological and anatomical similarities like fused scaphoid and lunate bones in the wrist and the ossified tentorium cerebelli.

The Carnivora order is divided into two suborders Caniformia and Feliformia. The mongoose belonging to Feliformia shared a common predecessor with the pangolin around 75 million years ago.

Do pangolin and armadillo belong to the same family?

Pangolins and armadillos share similar appearances and look related but have different origins. Pangolin is synonymous with an ancient Greek word that means 'clad in scales' while armadillos get their name from the Spanish word meaning 'little armored one'.

The taxonomy classification of the pangolin is as follows:

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Mammalia

Order: Pholidota

Family: Manidae

Genus: Manis

Pangolins are mammals belonging to the order Pholidota. Currently, Manidae is the only existing extant family under this order. This family comprises eight pangolin species under three Genera Manis, Phataginus, and Smutsia. These species include giant pangolin, ground pangolin, tree pangolin, long-tailed pangolin, Chinese pangolin, Indian pangolin, Sunda pangolin, and Philippine pangolin. There are four species of African pangolins.

The taxonomy classification of the armadillo is as follows:

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Mammalia

Superorder: Xenarthra

Order: Cingulata

Family: Dasypodidae

Armadillos are mammals, belonging to the superorder Xenarthra, which comprises anteaters and sloths as well. 20 armadillo species are existing under the order Cingulata, belonging to the family Dasypodidae.

These species include the greater fairy armadillo, pink fairy armadillo, Chacoan naked-tailed armadillo, greater naked-tailed armadillo, northern naked-tailed armadillo, southern naked-tailed armadillo, Andean hairy armadillo, hairy armadillo, little hairy armadillo, great long-nosed armadillo, hairy long-nosed armadillo, Llanos long-nosed armadillo, nine-banded armadillo, seven-banded armadillo, southern long-nosed armadillo, six-banded armadillo, giant armadillo, Brazilian three-banded armadillo, southern three-banded armadillo, and pichi.