Description
A Chicago area zoo has a new white-bellied pangolin.
The babies are called pangopups and the new one was born July 25 at Brookfield Zoo Chicago in Brookfield, Illinois.
According to the zoo, the populations for all eight species are declining, with the species ranging from vulnerable to critically endangered.
Pangolins are one of the most trafficked mammals in the world. It's estimated that 200,000 are poached from the wild a year for food in the illegal bushmeat trade. Their scales are also used in Asian medicines and in jewelry.
With this birth, there are now 13 pangolins at the zoo. The Brookfield Zoo Chicago is just one of a few zoos in the U.S. to have successfully bred and birthed pangolins.
The pangolin does not have teeth. It swallows its prey, which are predominantly ants and termites, whole.