Pangolins, sometimes known as scaly anteaters, are mammals of the order Pholidota. The
one
extant family, the Manidae, has three genera: Manis, Phataginus, and Smutsia. Manis comprises four
species
found in Asia, while Phataginus and Smutsia include two species each, all found in sub-Saharan
Africa.
These
species range in size from 30 to 100 cm. Several extinct pangolin species are also known. In
September 2023, nine species were reported.
Pangolins have large, protective keratin scales, similar in material to fingernails and
toenails,
covering their
skin; they are the only known mammals with this feature. Depending on the species, they live in
hollow
trees
or
burrows. Pangolins are nocturnal, and their diet consists of mainly ants and termites,
which
they
capture using
their long tongues. They tend to be solitary animals, meeting only to mate and produce a litter of
one
to
three
offspring, which they raise for about two years. Pangolins superficially resemble
armadillos,
though the two are
not closely related; they have undergone convergent evolution.
Pangolins are threatened by poaching (for their meat and scales, which are used in
traditional
medicine)
and heavy deforestation of their natural habitats, and are the most trafficked mammals in the world.
As
of
January 2020, there are eight species of pangolin whose conservation status is listed in the
threatened
tier.
Three (Manis culionensis, M. pentadactyla and M. javanica) are critically endangered, three
(Phataginus
tricuspis, Manis crassicaudata and Smutsia gigantea) are endangered and two (Phataginus tetradactyla
and
Smutsia
temminckii) are vulnerable on the Red List of Threatened Species of the International Union for
Conservation
of
Nature.
The physical appearance of a pangolin is marked by large, hardened, overlapping,
plate-like
scales,
which are
soft on newborn pangolins, but harden as the animal matures. They are made of
keratin,
the
same
material
from which human fingernails and tetrapod claws are made, and are structurally and
compositionally
very
different from the scales of reptiles. The pangolin's scaled body is comparable in
appearance
to a
pine
cone. It can curl up into a ball when threatened, with its overlapping scales acting as armor,
while
it
protects
its face by tucking it under its tail. The scales are sharp, providing extra defense from
predators.
Pangolins can emit a noxious-smelling chemical from glands near the anus, similar
to
the
spray
of a
skunk.
They have short legs, with sharp claws which they use for burrowing into ant and termite mounds
and
for
climbing.
The tongues of pangolins are extremely long, and like those of the giant anteater
and
the
tube-lipped nectar
bat, the root of the tongue is not attached to the hyoid bone but is in the thorax between the
sternum
and
the
trachea. Large pangolins can extend their tongues as much as 40 cm (16 in), with a
diameter
of
only
about
0.5 cm.
What Does A Pangolin Sound Like?
It is actually quite difficult to get a reliably sourced recording of what
pangolins
sound
like, so
instead
here is a recording of one rolling around in the dirt.
You can hear how much its scales grind and crunch on the gravel.
Audio from: Young, B. (Director). (2019, May 17). Eye of the Pangolin: The search for an
animal
on
the
edge
[Video].
Pangolin Africa. Retrieved February 17, 2025,
from https://www.pangolin.africa/the-film
