A very much unique family .
There is 8 distinct species of pangolins. Four in Africa ( white-bellied pangolin, black-bellied pangolin, ground pangolin, giant pangolin) and four in Asia ( Chinese pangolin, Sunda pangolin, Indian pangolin and Palawan pangolin). All these species are part of a family of mammals of their own called Manidae. All pangolin species posses scales made of keratin ( the same thing your nails and hair are made of ! ) and lack of teeth. There is no need for teeth if you possess what sometimes can be a 16 inches tongue to catch ants and termites which is their main diet. They posses long claws used to dig out ants and sometimes for the arboreal species to climb. They are mostly active at night.
The scales of the pangolins account for 20% of their weight ! 
A most particular walk, very much like a T-rex.
The most trafficked animal in the world
Sadly, their uniqueness makes them perfect victims to traffic. They hold the sad record of being the most trafficked animal in the world with one million pangolin poached from 2000 to 2013. For what? Their scales are used in traditional Chinese medicine to help mothers that have difficulties nursing or for blood pressure. Of course, there is no evidence to support this. Besides, a new trend in Asiatic countries for “wild meat” and where pangolin meat is considered a delicacy just adds more pressure on theses species that they really could have done without. This applies to all species of pangolin which are all at least considered vulnerable but most are endangered or even critically endangered.
A plague ridden critter ?
So the pangolin share a protein of the covid-19 virus with us at around 99%. Some even labelled it the revenge of the pangolin, a natural consequence of exploiting a already vulnerable species for so called medicine.
In captivity, pangolins are generally hard to breed and to even make thrive, even in the best zoos, efforts has been made and things have gotten better over the years by having complex diets and with more natural enclosures. A few births have been recorded as a result. The big problem is their weak immune system making them prone to infection and you guessed it, viruses. Most of the individual trafficked are full of parasites such as ticks and mites from the dirty and horrid conditions they are kept in, leaving them even weaker to attacks to sickness.
So there it is. You have a fragile animal having immunity issues even in ideal captive conditions, you take tons of them, add parasites and dirty conditions and watch as people consume their meat and scales. The perfect recipe for a plague. The cause of covid-19 isn’t pangolins, it’s the still ongoing animal trafficking. Even if today it is this particular species tomorrow it could very well be another one.
We have to do better for the shy pangolin just like we would for a friend too shy to speak for themselves.
Factual Animals 