This was one of my most special encounters with a pangolin who no mater where I went, kept walking towards me and bumping into me. At rest the tongue retracts into a sheath in its chest cavity and in some of the smaller pangolin species, their tongue is actually longer than their entire body length.ħ) They do not have teeth and so their food is ground down in their muscular stomach, which also has keratinous spines projecting into its interior, and is ground against soil and small pebbles ingested during the feeding process, similar to a bird’s gizzard.Ĩ) They have an incredibly good sense of smell and can actually close their ears and nostrils when feeding to keep insects out.ĩ) They live about twenty years, give birth to one baby at a time, which they wean at about three months and which catches rides on its’ mothers back or tail.ġ0) David Attenborough named the sunda pangolin as one of his ten species he would take on his ark to save from extinction. Amazingly the tongue is actually attached near its pelvis and last pair of ribs. Photo: Don Heynekeĥ) They have large claws and powerful forearms, which they use to dig into the ground as well as termite mounds for food. It is believed that pangolins eat more than 70 million insects per year, mostly made up of ants and termites.Ħ) They have a long, sticky tongue that they use to lap up their food. If none of these tactics work, they may even emit a noxious-smelling acid from glands near the anus to try to chase away the predator. They do also have the ability to thrash their scaled tail about while trying to get away, which is enough to cut a predator’s skin. al, 2020).Once balled up like this, the pangolin becomes like an impenetrable fortress that even lions, leopards and tigers cannot break into. Additionally, the government will no longer allow the use of pangolin scales in traditional medicine, a big win given that an estimated 195,000 pangolins were trafficked in 2019 for their scales alone (Challender, et. In June 2020, China increased protection for the native Chinese Pangolin ( Manis pentadactyla) to the highest level, which closed an important loophole for consumption of the species in-country. The four species found in Asia: Indian pangolin (Manis crassicaudata), Philippine pangolin (Manis culionensis), Sunda pangolin (Manis javanica) and the Chinese pangolin (Manis pentadactyla).Īll eight pangolin species are protected under national and international laws, and two are listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. They range from Vulnerable to Critically Endangered.įour species live in Africa: Black-bellied pangolin (Phataginus tetradactyla), White-bellied pangolin (Phataginus tricuspis), Giant Ground pangolin (Smutsia gigantea) and Temminck's Ground pangolin (Smutsia temminckii). There is also demand in the United States for pangolin products, particularly for their leather to be used in boots, bags, and belts.Įight species of pangolins are found on two continents. If touched or grabbed it will roll up completely into a ball, while the sharp scales on the tail can be used to lash out.Īlso called scaly anteaters because of their preferred diet, pangolins are the most trafficked mammal in the world-with demand primarily in Asia and in growing amounts in Africa-for their meat and scales. A startled pangolin will cover its head with its front legs, exposing its scales to any potential predator. ANGRY GIANT PANGOLIN FULLThese solitary, primarily nocturnal animals, are easily recognized by their full armor of scales. What’s scaly from tip to tail and can curl into a ball?
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