Pangolin Scales

Pangolins are famous for curling into a tight ball when threatened, a trait which marks them as “pathetically easy” on the “how easy stuff is to hunt” scale. Pangolin scales are made of keratin, the same stuff as fingernails, which makes their use in traditional medicine about as scientific as chewing your own toenails. Despite this, millions of pangolin have been illegally slaughtered, roasted, and stripped so their scales could be boiled into potions said to cure everything from acne to impotence. Conservationists call it one of the greatest wildlife crimes of our time, while Tornfolk see it as a lucrative side hustle.