<P> Many attempts have been made to reproduce pangolins in captivity, but due to their reliance on wide - ranging habitats and very particular diets, these attempts are often unsuccessful . They are susceptible to diseases such as pneumonia and the development of ulcers in captivity, complications which can lead to an early death . In addition, pangolins rescued from illegal trade often have a higher chance of being infected with parasites such as intestinal worms, further lessening their chance for rehabilitation and reintroduction to the wild . Recently, researchers have been able to improve artificial pangolin habitats to allow for reproduction of pangolins, providing some hope for future reintroduction of these species into their natural habitats . </P> <P> The third Saturday in February is promoted as World Pangolin Day by the conservation NPO Annamiticus . </P> <P> Pangolins were formerly classified with various other orders, for example Xenarthra, which includes the ordinary anteaters, sloths, and the similar - looking armadillos . Newer genetic evidence, however, indicates their closest living relatives are the Carnivora with which they form the clade Ferae . Some palaeontologists, placing Ernanodonta in a separate suborder of Cimolesta near Pholidota, have classified the pangolins in the order Cimolesta, together with several extinct groups indicated (†) below, though this idea has fallen out of favor since cimolestids have been determined to have not been placental mammals . A 2015 study has supported close affinities between pangolins and the extinct group Creodonta, as well as many former Cimolestans (Cimolestes itself was recovered as a far more basal mammal). </P> <P> All species of living pangolin had been assigned to the genus Manis until the late 2000s, when research prompted the splitting of extant pangolins into three genera: Manis, Phataginus, and Smutsia . </P>

Is a pangolin the same as an armadillo