[5] The scales are made of keratin, as are human fingernails, and are anchored at the base to the pangolin's skin.

[8] This makes Phataginus tetradactyla the closest relative to Phataginus tricuspis.The tree pangolin ranges from Guinea through Sierra Leone and much of West Africa to Central Africa as far east as extreme southwestern Kenya and northwestern Tanzania.

It has been found on the Atlantic island of Bioko, but no records confirm a presence in Senegal, Gambia, or Guinea-Bissau.

It probably adapts to some degree to habitat modification, such as commercial plantations, as it favours cultivated and fallow land where it is not aggressively hunted (e.g., abandoned or little-used oil palm trees in secondary growth).

[9] The tree pangolin can walk on all fours or on its hind legs using its prehensile tail for balance.

The tree pangolin in Africa fills its stomach with air before entering water to aid in buoyancy for well-developed swimming.

Its scales cover its entire body except for the belly, snout, eyes, ears, and undersides of the limbs.

The pangolin uses its 10- to 27-in (250- to 700-mm) tongue which is coated with gummy alkaline mucus to funnel the insects into its mouth.

Pangolins can demonstrate their availability through feces and urine markings as well as by spreading the scent produced by their anal glands.

Conservationists believe this species underwent a decline of 20–25% between 1993 and 2008 (three pangolin generations) due mainly to the impact of the bushmeat hunting.