This little creature often called a “scaly anteater,” holds the unwanted title of being the most illegally trafficked and poached mammal in the world.

And environmental policymakers and conservation experts are trying to change the animal’s grim fate.

In the coming week, the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) World Conservation Congress in Hawaii will discuss ways to save the largely unknown mammal from extinction.

Every five minutes, a pangolin – as they are properly known – is taken from the wild, either to be killed or sold, according to the global conservation group.

What is a pangolin?

They are burrowing mammals covered in overlapping scales made from keratin, the same protein that forms human hair and finger nails, savepangolins.org reports.

An African giant ground pangolin. Photo: Getty

Along with being solitary, nocturnal animals, very little is known about the behaviour of a pangolin.

The mammal, which is said to live up to 20 years, varies in size and colour depending on the species.

Found in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, there are eight different species of pangolin.

They range from a light to yellowish brown through olive to dark brown and vary in size depending on the species.

Much like anteaters, they scoop up ants and termites with their long, sticky tongues and curl up into a ball when threatened.

Why are they so endangered?

The primary threat to the pangolins survival is in Asia, where it is poached for predominantly meat and is considered a delicacy.

A pangolin saves itself from a lion by rolling up into a ball. Photo: Getty

It is also in demand for its scales, which are used as an ingredient in traditional Asian medicine.

The IUCN SSC Pangolin Specialist Group, believes more than a million pangolins have been snatched from the wild since 2000.

All four types of Asian pangolins are considered endangered, with the Chinese and Sunda species listed as critically endangered on the IUCN’s red list.

African pangolins are listed as vulnerable, where trafficking is rapidly deleting the population.

What’s being done?

As well as featuring on the conservation red list, pangolins are registered in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

A Thai pangolin saved after being abandoned on a road on the outskirts of Bangkok. Photo: AAP

CITES is a legally binding, international agreement between governments, aiming to ensure the survival of wild animals and plants.

But despite many states in Africa and Asia signing agreeing to these terms prohibiting the capture and trade of pangolins, it doesn’t mean they are necessarily enforced.

You can support the IUCN’s pangolin conservation program here.