Pangolins are generally very difficult to spot in the wild, making their reproductive behavior something rarely seen. Fortunately, videographers for the PBS series Big Little Journeys were recently able to capture some incredible footage of two Chinese pangolins performing a courtship ritual in the forests of in Taiwan.
In the footage, you can see the male pangolin following the female around for hours until she signals that she is ready to mate. The video then captures the moments they begin coupling—a tricky prospect, with their armor-like scales. Seven months later, the female was seen emerging from her burrow with a new pup clinging to her tail.
Kudos to the videographers, who were able to record this amazing pangolin reproductive behavior after spending hundreds of hours patiently and quietly waiting for just the right moment.