Meet the pangolin, a shy, scale-covered mammal that often goes unnoticed.

This unique creature is covered in protective armor made of keratin, the same material as our fingernails.

When threatened, it rolls into a tight, nearly impenetrable ball.

Pangolins are vital ecosystem engineers.

Their burrows provide shelter for other species and help damaged forests recover by aerating the soil.

They're also nature's pest control using their claws to rip apart logs and termite mounds.

Their long, sticky tongue can probe deep into insect nests, consuming thousands of ants and termites in a single day.

A hungry pangolin can both regulate insect populations and help tree populations flourish.

Despite these impressive feats, pangolins are the world's most trafficked mammal.

Their scales are used in traditional medicine and they are hunted for their meat and leather.

Nearly 900,000 were trafficked in the last 20 years.

Across Africa and Asia, all eight species now range from vulnerable to critically endangered.

Although international trade is banned, poaching continues.

That's where the Pangolin Crisis Fund, led by the Wildlife Conservation Network, steps in.

Their singular goal is to eliminate the demand, trafficking, and poaching crisis that puts all eight species of pangolins at risk of extinction.

They fund critical projects, monitoring wild populations, strengthening legal protections, and supporting on-the-ground groups working to protect pangolins and their habitats.

This includes training and equipping rescue and rehabilitation teams, and working with farming communities to make their areas safer for pangolins.

Through these efforts, the conservation of pangolins is growing strong with attention spanning globally.

To discover how you can help save this critical species, visit norcalpublicmedia.org/wildlife.