Habits
Pangolins are timid animals that live solitary lives. They are usually found alone and only appear in pairs during mating, or when a female is with her young. Largely nocturnal, pangolins forage only at night and spend most of the day curled up in a ball and sleeping. Only the Long-tailed Pangolin is reported to be diurnal and active during the day.
Pangolins use their tail and claws to help them climb trees
While most pangolins are completely terrestrial, others like the African Tree Pangolin are arboreal and adept tree climbers. They possess strong, prehensile tails that come with a bare tip, allowing them to grip branches and scale trees.
Pangolins walk on their knuckles by curling their front claws inwards, producing a very distinct footprint. They move slowly and deliberately unless alarmed. Pangolins are able to raise themselves onto their hind legs, using their long tail as a support. This allows them to sniff the wind and look out for danger. All pangolins are good swimmers.
Defense
Lion trying to devour the pangolin
Timid by nature, Pangolins who are unable to outrun threats will curl up into a tight, virtually impenetrable ball. This exposes only their tough scales to predators while protecting their soft undersides. Once curled up, it is very difficult to pry the pangolin open. As a further deterrent, special muscles enable the pangolins to move their razor sharp scales in a cutting action, slicing any animal that tries to get between their scales. Pangolins may also secrete an obnoxious smelling liquid from their anal region to discourage predators. Such pungent anal secretions are sometimes also used for marking their territories.