WASHINGTON U.S. officials proposed on June 16 to protect the pangolin , a small, nocturnal mammal covered in scales, under the Endangered Species Act . The pangolin is “the most trafficked mammal in the world” in large part for its scales, used in traditional Chinese medicine, and meat, according to the World Wildlife Fund. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is looking to add protections for four species of the pangolin native to Asia, including the Chinese, Indian, Sunda and Philippine