- COMMON NAME: Pangolins
- SCIENTIFIC NAME: Manidae
- DIET: Insectivore
- AVERAGE LIFE SPAN: unknown
- SIZE: 45 inches to 4.5 feet long
- WEIGHT: 4 to 72 pounds
What is a pangolin?
Pangolins,
or scaly anteaters as they are otherwise known, are unique mammals covered in
hard scales comprised of keratin. They predate almost exclusively on ants and
termites and are predominantly nocturnal and elusive, secretive mammals. The
shy, harmless pangolin is becoming increasingly well known for one reason: It's
believed to be the world's most trafficked non-human mammal. Tens of thousands
of pangolins are poached every year, killed for their scales for traditional
Chinese medicine and their meat, a delicacy among some ultra-wealthy in China
and Vietnam.
There
are eight species of pangolins. Four are found in Asia—Chinese, Sunda, Indian,
and Philippine pangolins—and the IUCN lists them as critically endangered. The
four African species—the ground pangolin, giant pangolin, white-bellied, and
black-bellied—are vulnerable. All species face declining populations because of
illegal trade. In 2016, the 186 countries party to the Convention on
International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), the treaty that regulates
the international wildlife trade, voted to ban the commercial trade in
pangolins.
Why 'pangolin'?
The
word pangolin is derived from the Malay word 'penggulung,' which means roller
represents how pangolins behave when they feel threatened, rolling up into a
ball.
Pangolins!
Their
full armor of scales easily recognizes these solitary, primarily nocturnal
animals. A startled pangolin will cover its head with its front legs, exposing
its rankings to any potential predator. 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.
How many species of pangolin are there?
There
are eight extant species of pangolin. They comprise the Chinese pangolin,
Indian pangolin, Sunda pangolin, and Philippine pangolin, which inhabit Asia.
The white-bellied pangolin, black-bellied pangolin, giant pangolin, and
Temminck's pangolin, which occur in Africa.
Also
called scaly anteaters because of their preferred diet, pangolins are
increasingly victims of illegal wildlife crime—mainly in Asia and in growing
amounts in Africa—for their meat and scales.
Eight
species of pangolins are found on two continents. They range from Vulnerable to
Critically Endangered.
Four
species live in Africa: Black-bellied pangolin (Phataginus tetradactyla),
White-bellied pangolin (Phataginus tricuspid), Giant Ground pangolin (Smutsia
gigantea), and Temminck's Ground pangolin (Smutsia temminckii).
The
four species found in Asia: Indian pangolin (Manis crassicaudata), Philippine
pangolin (Manis culionensis), Sunda pangolin (Manis javanica) and the Chinese
pangolin (Manis pentadactyla).
All
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.
In
June 2020, China increased protection for the native Chinese Pangolin (Manis
pentadactyla) to the highest level, which closed an essential loophole for the
species' consumption in-country. Additionally, the government will no longer
allow the use of pangolin scales in traditional medicine. A big win has given
that an estimated 195,000 pangolins were trafficked in 2019 for their scales
alone (Challender et al., 2020).
Where are they found?
Paleo-archaeological
evidence suggests pangolins may have evolved in Europe, but the extant species
are found only in Asia and Africa. They fulfill a similar ecological niche to anteaters
in South America but are unrelated, each having evolved to fill similar
environmental roles through convergent evolution.
Why do
pangolins need conservation action?
Pangolins
are a little-studied and minor understood species. However, they are poached
and illegally traded in huge numbers in Asia. Simultaneously, in Africa, they
are hunted for wild meat and use in traditional African medicine. However,
evidence now suggests African pangolins and their derivatives are being
targeted for trade to Asian markets. Consequently, pangolin populations are in
severe decline and are thought to be locally extirpated in parts of both Asia
and Africa.
Why are pangolins traded?
ScalesMost
pangolins in illicit, international trade end up in China and Vietnam. Here,
the animals' meat is consumed as a delicacy, but it is also believed to impart
health benefits such as nourishing the kidneys. Despite a lack of evidence
suggesting they're practical, pangolin scales are used as an ingredient in
traditional Asian medicine to help breastfeeding women lactate milk, to cure
ailments ranging from asthma and psoriasis to cancer, and to improve blood
circulation.
How many scales do pangolins have?
Variety in size and scales, every type of
pangolin probably has an alternate reach regarding the plates' number. The
number of leaves on the Sunda pangolin has been estimated at approximately 900
to over 1000.
·
While pangolins are devoured as a delicacy in
nations like Vietnam and China.
Pangolin scales
Pangolin
scales are used in traditional medicine allegedly to cure various ailments,
though this has not been scientifically proven.
Pangolin boots.
Pangolin
skins are processed into leather products like boots, belts, and bags. These
are seen primarily in the United States and Mexico.
Historically
pangolins were poached primarily for bushmeat, with their scales cast aside as
byproducts. Over the last decade, however, the price fetched for skins,
rankings, and the whole animal in countries like Vietnam and China, and the US
has resulted in decimated populations. All eight species of pangolin are
protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of
Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), the highest international law level.
With
increased connectivity and ease of sharing content worldwide, the trafficking
of these animals has been exacerbated by an unlikely culprit; the Internet. And
they aren't alone. The world's most endangered species, from elephants, to
rhinos and tigers, can all be found with a scroll or a swipe across everyday
apps. Criminals now have access to the world's biggest marketplace through
e-commerce, social media, and search platforms, enabling them to advertise
illegally traded species and process transactions with minimal risk.
WWF,
along with partners TRAFFIC and IFAW, launched the Coalition to End Wildlife
Trafficking Online in 2018 to unite the tech sector in shutting down this open
route for illegal trade. Companies work together with wildlife experts to
strengthen and harmonize wildlife policies, train enforcement staff to better
detect endangered species and their products. Educate billions of users about
wildlife trafficking, report illegal products, and enhance automated detection
systems such as image recognition and share learning across the industry. In
March 2020, Coalition companies reported blocking or removing more than 3.3
million listings that violated wildlife policies. The entire progress report
can access here.
Given
the scale and ever-evolving nature of the Internet, Coalition activities aim to
be inclusive and focused on long-term, sustained impact. With this thinking,
the Cyber Spotter Program launched in 2017 to catalyze citizen science to
detect and report illegal wildlife products across the web. To date,
conservation and tech company volunteers have flagged nearly 10,000 endangered
species listings that company partners have removed. And this is just the
start.
Pangolin Behaviors
They
are all armed and dangerous.
All
pangolins can roll themselves into a ball in self-defense. Their armor-plated
scales are also capable of cutting action, worked by powerful muscles, which
inflict severe wounds for anything inserted between them. When threatened, they
can also emit a noxious-smelling acid from their glands, similar to skunks, except
there is no spraying.
Females
are usually alone with their young.
Infants
are about 15 centimeters long and weigh about 3 to 16 ounces at birth. Their
pale, soft scales begin to harden by the second day. The baby is folded in the
mother's lap or rolled-up body. Nursed for 3 to 4 months, it begins to eat
termites at one month. At this time, the infant begins to accompany the mother,
perhaps riding on her tail base. If the mother senses danger, then the baby
slips under her and is protected when she rolls up her body.
African Pangolin Diet
Pangolins
are creatures of the night.
They
remain in their burrows during the day and come out at night to hunt. It uses
its keen sense of smell to locate termite and ant nests, digging the insects
from mounds using its claws and eating them with its extremely long tongue
(which can be up to 41 centimeters). In some cases, this mammal's tongue is
longer than its body. Large salivary glands coat the tongue with sticky mucus
to which ants and termites stick. When digging for insects, it can constrict
their ears and nostrils to keep them out while feeding.
Habitats
Where do pangolins live?
They
prefer sandy soils and can be found in woodlands and savannas within reach of
the water. They are dispersed throughout Southern, Central, and East Africa.
Illegal trade
Pangolin
scales are made of keratin, the same material that makes up fingernails, hair,
and horn. Pangolin scales, like rhino horn, have no proven medicinal value, yet
they are used in traditional Chinese medicine to help with ailments ranging
from lactation difficulties to arthritis. The scales typically dried and ground
up into powder, which may turn into a pill.
For
many years, the Asian species were the primary target of poachers and
traffickers. But now that their numbers have been depleted, smugglers are
increasingly turning to African pangolins. In two record-breaking seizures in
the space of a week in April 2019, Singapore seized a 14.2-ton shipment and a 14-ton
shipment of pangolin scales—from an estimated 72,000 pangolins—coming from
Nigeria.
Reproduction
The
only time pangolins spend time together is when they mate and bear young. Some
pangolin fathers will stay in the den until the single offspring is independent.
Babies are born with soft scales that harden after two days, but they will ride
on their mothers' tails until they're weaned at about three months.
They
reach sexual maturity at about two years old.
Sources Link:
- . https://www.worldwildlife.org/stories/the-fight-to-stop-pangolin-extinction
- . https://www.worldwildlife.org/stories/what-is-a-pangolin
- . https://edition.cnn.com/interactive/2014/04/opinion/sutter-change-the-list-pangolin-trafficking/index.html
- . https://www.awf.org/wildlife-conservation/pangolin
- . https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/facts/pangolins
