Instead of having hair or quills, the pangolin has overlapping scales that feel a bit like our fingernails. The scales are made of keratin, like our fingernails. They grow at the base and wear down at the tip as the animal brushes up against branches and tree trunks. The scales are light and thin, with sharp edges, and are attached at the base to the pangolin's thick skin. These scales cover most of the pangolin's body, except for the belly, snout, eyes, and ears. They can be dark brown to dark olive-brown, pale olive, or yellowish-brown. Flat scales cover the top of the pangolin's head and tail.
The pangolin's belly and face has soft, pale hairs. Its head is small and pointed, and its tail is longer than its body. Like other animals that dine on ants and termites, pangolins have no teeth.
There are eight pangolin species. Tree pangolins live in the rain forests of Central Africa.