Page 128 - Present Day Wildlife_Float

Pangolins (one that rolls up) are scaly ant eating placental mammals that are found across Afri-
ca and Asia. There are eight extant species that include two subspecies located in three genera in the
family Manidae* in the order Pholidota. The largest of the species is the Giant pangolin with a body
length of about 137 to 180 cm and weighs around 30 to 40 kg. The smallest is the long-tailed pangolin
with a body length of around 30 to 40 cm and a weight of between 2 to 3 kg. The earliest ancestor of
the present day pangolins is believed to have
appeared around 79 to 47 million years ago.

Pangolins’ have a small conical shaped
head, with small round eyes, protected by
thick eyelids. Their snout is pointed, and its
jaws; toothless. It has an incredibly long
tongue that can measure around 25 to 40cm
and is coated with sticky saliva. It has four
short powerful legs, with pawed feet sprout-
ing three long heavy clawed toes. Apart from
the sides of the face and soft underside of
the body, an adult Pangolins’ body is cov-
ered in hard overlapping keratin scales, the
same substance found in a human’s toe and
finger nails. As a juvenile these scales are
soft and supple, but harden into a defensive armoured covering as it matures. All Pangolins have long
thick tails and while most are terrestrial and have relatively rigid tails, tree dwellers like the African
Long-tailed pangolin and the Asian Sunda pangolin have long flexible prehensile tails they use for
climbing and gripping branches.

Pangolins live in all types of environments, the only requisite for their habitat being a plentiful
supply of ants and termites; the pangolins main source of food. Their found in forests, grasslands,
farmland, and being first class swimmers it’s not unusual to find them living in swamplands and near
river banks. Most, like the, Ground pangolin and the Giant pangolin, are terrestrial and with their

powerful front claws dig burrows to a depth of around 3 to 4 metres to live and take shelter in should
danger threaten. Others are arboreal, like the, Indian pangolin, the Philippine pangolin and the afore-
mentioned long-tailed and Sunda pangolin. All are excellent climbers and live and shelter in hollows
and holes in trees. Pangolins are solitary animals, living and hunting alone. They have poor eyesight
but use their keen sense of smell to locate termite and ant nests. Once found, they insert their long
tongue into the nest. With its sticky surface it can extract dozens of termites or ants in one go. It has no
teeth to chew its catch so it simply swallows them whole, relying on its stomach and the small stones
(see; Gastrolith) it had ingested earlier to crush and digest them.

Pangolins are insectivores, living on mainly termites, ants and occasionally other insects, and
larvae. They are ferocious eaters consuming 140 to 200g of insects a day. Attacking a nest of termites
or ants has its dangers; they fight back, swarming over the attacker. Pangolins can close off their ears
and nostrils preventing them from accessing those sensitive areas. Apart from the long-tailed pango-
lin, which is active during the day, most pangolins are nocturnal, spending most of the day rolled-up in
a ball sleeping (see: Volvation). Pangolins have several natural predators like leopards, lions, tigers,
and hyenas. However, rolling itself into a tight ball nearly always thwarts them, though occasionally
they do succeed. The biggest and unnatural threat to its survival, is of course man. If man continues
his slaughter of the pangolin its believed it will be extinct within the next few years and will join the
long list of animals man has happily sent into extinction.

*Family Manidae
African species Asian species
Genus Phataginus (African tree pangolin) Genus Manis
Long-tailed pangolin: Phataginus tetradactyla Indian pangolin: Manis crassicaudata
Tree pangolin: Phataginus tricuspis Chinese pangolin: Manis pentadactyla
Genus Smutsia Subgenus: Paramanis
Giant pangolin: Smutsia gigantea Philippine pangolin: Manis culionensis
Ground pangolin: Smutsia temminckii
Sunda pangolin: Manis javanica