What is a pangolin? 1st of Google’s Valentine’s Day doodles is mobile game spotlighting endangered animal

Google is celebrating Valentine’s Day early on mobile this weekend, posting the first of its Valentine’s Day doodle series on its mobile home page (but not desktop).

The doodle is an animated image of a pangolin — the world’s only scaly mammal — holding a giant heart that launches a mobile game. The game has players leading the animated pangolin across the Ghana landscape collecting cocoa beans to make a dessert for his sweetheart.

At the end of the game, players can share it on social networks or click a heart icon that displays facts about the pangolin. The search icon at the close of the game leads to a search for “What is a pangolin?”

According to the Google Doodle Blog, pangolins are the most trafficked mammal in the world. “All eight species face a signnificant threat from poachers and smugglers,” reports Google about the animal that is native to Asia and Africa.

It appears Google will be spotlighting more endangered animals in the days leading up to Valentine’s. The blog post outlining today’s image lists the giant pangolin as “today’s featured species.”

Of all the doodles I have covered in the past four years, this is the first that I can recall that is only being posted on mobile.

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Amy Gesenhues

Amy Gesenhues is Third Door Media's General Assignment Reporter, covering the latest news and updates for Search Engine Land and Marketing Land. From 2009 to 2012, she was an award-winning syndicated columnist for a number of daily newspapers from New York to Texas. With more than ten years of marketing management experience, she has contributed to a variety of traditional and online publications, including MarketingProfs.com, SoftwareCEO.com, and Sales and Marketing Management Magazine. Read more of Amy's articles.