Pangolin Scales
Perhaps you guessed the owner of these scales from their making headlines last year, but if not, meet the pangolin. These Southeast Asian mammals are notoriously adorable—they look a bit like a small anteater made itself armor out of an artichoke. The eight species of the animal are bipedal and hounded for their scales and meat, which are hot-ticket items in the illicit wildlife trade. Pangolins are the only mammals totally covered in scales, which they use for protection from predators in the wild. Pity that those iconic scales can’t protect them from humanity.
