I'M MAKING A THREAD ABOUT POKEMON AND THE COOL ANIMALS THAT INSPIRED THEM AND NOBODY CAN STOP ME (all photos have credit in the alt text!) Sandslash is based on the pangolin! These insectivorous mammals are covered head to toe in scales made of keratin, the same material as your hair and nails. Many pangolins live in trees, but ground pangolins dig their burrows in the dirt, hence Sandslash's ground typing.