There are eight species of pangolin (also known as scaly anteater), four in Asia and four in Africa.
They occupy a diverse array of habitats including tropical forests, grasslands, savannas, and deciduous forests.
Pangolins live in hollow trees or burrows, depending on the species.
Pangolins walk up trees (rather than climbing) by using their tails for balance.
They tend to be solitary animals, meeting only to mate and produce a litter of one to three offspring which are raised for about two years.
Pangolins defend themselves by rolling up into a ball totally covered with scales. This makes them impenetrable to predators, but easy prey for poachers.Their name comes from a Malay expression meaning 'rolling up'.
Pangolins are nocturnal, and their diet consists of mainly ants and termites which they capture using their long, specially adapted tongues.
A pangolin can eat 70 million ants a year. They have no teeth but grind them up in their stomachs.
Pangolins walk on two legs, and use their tail as a counterbalance to keep them upright.
They occupy a diverse array of habitats including tropical forests, grasslands, savannas, and deciduous forests.
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| Tree pangolin. By Valerius Tygart - Wikipedia Commons |
BEHAVIOR
Pangolins live in hollow trees or burrows, depending on the species.
Pangolins walk up trees (rather than climbing) by using their tails for balance.
They tend to be solitary animals, meeting only to mate and produce a litter of one to three offspring which are raised for about two years.
Pangolins defend themselves by rolling up into a ball totally covered with scales. This makes them impenetrable to predators, but easy prey for poachers.Their name comes from a Malay expression meaning 'rolling up'.
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| Indian pangolin defending itself against Asiatic lions. By Sandip kumar - Wikipedia |
Pangolins are nocturnal, and their diet consists of mainly ants and termites which they capture using their long, specially adapted tongues.
A pangolin can eat 70 million ants a year. They have no teeth but grind them up in their stomachs.
ANATOMY
Their sticky tongues, which can be as long as their body, are perfectly designed for slithering into ants' nests and slurping them up.
The pangolin's tongue is attached to the bottom of its ribcage and is rolled up in a hollow part of the animal's chest when not in use.
Pangolins can close their ears and nostrils to keep ants and termites out while they are feeding.
Just as armadillos are the only mammals with shells, pangolins are the only mammals covered in scales.
A pangolin's scales account for about 20 per cent of its body weight.
Pangolins have become highly endangered through the use of their scales in Chinese medicine and their being eaten as a delicacy in Vietnam.
Male pangolins are about 50 per cent heavier than females.
Pangolins are threatened by hunting (for their meat and scales) and heavy deforestation of their natural habitats.
They are the most illegally traded wild mammal on the planet, and is in danger of being eaten to extinction. Their scales can cost more than $3,000/kg on the black market.
World Pangolin Day is celebrated on the third Saturday in February. It is an international attempt to raise awareness about pangolins and bring together various stakeholders to help protect them from extinction. It will next be celebrated on February 18, 2023.
Source Daily Express
The pangolin's tongue is attached to the bottom of its ribcage and is rolled up in a hollow part of the animal's chest when not in use.
Pangolins can close their ears and nostrils to keep ants and termites out while they are feeding.
Just as armadillos are the only mammals with shells, pangolins are the only mammals covered in scales.
 |
| Pangolin, Manis javanica. By Piekfrosch at the German language Wikipedia, |
A pangolin's scales account for about 20 per cent of its body weight.
Pangolins have become highly endangered through the use of their scales in Chinese medicine and their being eaten as a delicacy in Vietnam.
Male pangolins are about 50 per cent heavier than females.
THREATS
Pangolins are threatened by hunting (for their meat and scales) and heavy deforestation of their natural habitats.
They are the most illegally traded wild mammal on the planet, and is in danger of being eaten to extinction. Their scales can cost more than $3,000/kg on the black market.
World Pangolin Day is celebrated on the third Saturday in February. It is an international attempt to raise awareness about pangolins and bring together various stakeholders to help protect them from extinction. It will next be celebrated on February 18, 2023.
Source Daily Express
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