just for fun!!! Did You Know . . . Pangolins!

a  While Pangolins may look and sound like they could not be a real animal, they actually are! Here are a few fun facts about them - did you know - 

• Pangolins do not have teeth. They use their long tongues – which are sticky – to catch the ants or termites and then swallow them.
• They are the only mammal with scales made from keratin, like your fingernails, and are covered from their nose to their tail.
• Pangolins curl into a ball to protect their face, belly, and baby if anything tries to eat them.
• They look similar to anteaters, but have a “secret weapon”, similar to skunks, which Pangolins use to protect themselves – a very unpleasant odor!
• The insides of a Pangolin's stomach has "spines" which are made of keratin - like their scales - and these spines grind up the ants/ termites, so they are able to digest their food.    

What do you think is the most unexpected thing about Pangolins?

Pangolins are covered in scales – the scales overlap similar to the look of a pinecone. So, let’s do an activity which will help us think about, and remember the unique scales God designed for Pangolins. You will need the following . . .

·        Pinecones – go on a walk and see if you are able to find them. (Otherwise, you will be able to buy some online.)

·        Optional – craft supplies

Look at your pinecone – gently run your finger down the pinecone. What does it feel like? See how the “scales” on the pinecone overlap. Imagine how hard it would be to bite open a pinecone if it were made of keratin like the scales on Pangolins. How do pinecones remind you of Pangolins? If you like, add eyes, and features with your craft supplies to make a “Pangolin” of your own. Put your pinecone/ Pangolin where you will see it to remember how God knew what He was doing when He created Pangolins – and He knows what He is doing with you, too!

If the universe had not been made with the most exacting precision, we could never have come into existence. It is my view that these circumstances indicate the universe was created for man to live in. - John A. O’Keefe, NASA astrophysicist