National Geographic Kids USA - May 2017

OES

During fights with

villains, Wolverine

defends himself with

long, sharp claws that

pop out of his knuck-

les. Pangolins have

long, sharp claws on each of their front

feet. They use them to rip up ant and

termite nests as they search for dinner.

Some species that spend time in trees

also clutch onto branches with their

claws. Pangolins that stay mostly on the

ground use the claws to dig burrows for

sleeping. Whether you’re a superhero or

a pangolin, claws really come in handy.

Spider-Man shoots

out sticky strands

of webbing from his

wrists to swing from

one skyscraper to

another. When a pan-

golin is hungry, it shoots out its

sticky tongue(which extends up to 16

inches past its mouth). Coated in

gluey saliva, the licker scoops up ants

and termites, the pangolin’s favorite

snacks. In all, the mammal can eat

some 70 million insects a year. Makes

sense that this superhero-like crea-

ture would have a super-appetite.

WOLVERINE

BY DAVID BROWN

Up to 28 inches in all, a pangolin’s tongue can be almost as

long as its body(minus the tail)! How does it fit inside the

mammal? The tongue runs from its mouth down its ster-

num(or breastbone). The back end curves around organs

in the lower abdomen, arching toward the backbone. At

rest, the tongue’s front end is coiled inside the pangolin’s

mouth. The animal flicks out its licker to snag grub.

SPIDER-MAN

C

lark Kent and Peter Parker—

the alter egos of Superman

and Spider-Man—don’t really

stand out. And neither do pangolins

in the tropical forests or grasslands

of Africa and Asia where they live. But

like your favorite movie heroes, this

animal has a few hidden superpowers.

Check them out here.

Discoverthehiddenpowersofthepangolin.
WOLVERINE

CLAWS!

TONGUETIME

SPIDER-MAN

STICKINESS!

«

SHOULDER BLADE

BACKBONE

STERNUM

LOWER ABDOMEN

TONGUE

22 MAY 2017

ATLANTIC

OCEAN

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OCEAN

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J DENNIS NIGEL / GETTY IMAGES (SCALES IN TITLE, CURLED IN A BALL,PANGOLIN SIDE PROFILE); MARIA DIEKMANN / REST (TONGUE); JAMIE TRUEBLOOD / © COLUMBIA PICTURES / COURTESY EVERETT COLLECTION (SPIDER-MAN); SUZI ESZTERHAS / MINDEN PICTURES (CLAWS); 20TH CENTURY FOX / ENTERTAINMENT PICTURES / ZUMA PRESS (WOLVERINE); KEITH & LIZ LAIDLER / ARDEA (HANGING FROM TAIL); JAY MAIDMENT / © WALT DISNEY STUDIOS MOTION PICTURES / COURTESY EVERETT COLLECTION (GAMORA); CHRISTIAN BOIX / AFRICA GEOGRAPHIC (PANGOLIN, BIG); IMAGEBROKER / ALAMY (SCALE CLOSE-UP); © WALT DISNEY STUDIOS MOTION PICTURES / COURTESY EVERETT COLLECTION (IRON MAN); COLLECTION CHRISTOPHEL / ALAMY (ANT-MAN); RANDALL SCOTT / NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC CREATIVE (BRYAN CHRISTY); CHRIS PHILPOT (TONGUE GRAPHIC); MARTIN WALZ (MAP)

Wherepangolins live

natgeokids.com/may

GET MORE!

FREAKY ATURES

Watch binturongs,termites, and others.

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