All eight known pangolin species remain at high risk of extinction due to over-exploitation and loss of habitat, conservationists warned Wednesday, warning knowledge gaps were hampering protection efforts.

The scale of the threat faced by the world's most heavily-trafficked mammals is not yet fully understood, said the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

Found in the forests, woodlands, and savannas of Africa and Asia, pangolins are small, nocturnal creatures known for their distinctive appearance, slow and peaceful demeanour, and habit of curling into a ball when threatened.

The world's only scaly mammals, often likened to walking pinecones, have keratin scales that are co

See Full Page