They have no jugal and the zygomatic arch is incomplete. The mandible is narrow and weak. Externally, the scales extend from the head, down the back to or almost to the tip of the long tail. Beneath, pangolins lack scales but have a sparse coat of fur. Their limbs are stout and well adapted for digging.
Claws are large, sharp, and recurved.
Pangolins range in size from about 1.6kg to a maximum of about 33kg. Some species of pangolins are arboreal, others are terrestrial. Two species have semiprehensile tails, used in climbing. Their scales provide good defense against predators. When threatened, pangolins curl into a ball, protecting their scaleless undersurface and sometimes rolling down a steep slope.