Pangolin | Description, Habitat, Diet, & Facts (2024)

mammal

verifiedCite

While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies.Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.

Select Citation Style

External Websites

Britannica Websites

Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.

  • pangolin - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11)
  • pangolin - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)

Print

verifiedCite

While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies.Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.

Select Citation Style

Feedback

Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

External Websites

Britannica Websites

Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.

  • pangolin - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11)
  • pangolin - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)

Also known as: Manidae, scaly anteater

Written and fact-checked by

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last Updated: Article History

Sunda, or Malayan, pangolin

See all media

Also called:
scaly anteater
Related Topics:
Sunda pangolin
Philippine pangolin
Indian pangolin
giant pangolin
Chinese pangolin

See all related content →

pangolin, (family Manidae), any of about eight species of armoured placental mammals of the family Manidae (order Pholidota). The name pangolin, from the Malay meaning “rolling over,” refers to this animal’s habit of curling into a ball when threatened. Pangolins—which are typically classified in the genera Manis, Phataginus, and Smutsia—are found in tropical Asia and Africa. Pangolins are 30 to 90 cm (1 to 3 feet) long exclusive of the tail and weigh 5 to 27 kg (10 to 60 pounds). Across all eight species, adult tail length ranges from about 26 to 70 cm (approximately 10 to 28 inches). Except for the sides of the face and underside of the body, they are covered with overlapping brownish scales composed of cemented hairs. The head is short and conical, with small thickly lidded eyes and a long toothless muzzle; the tongue is wormlike and can extend up to 25 cm (10 inches) in length. The legs are short, and the five-toed feet have sharp claws. The tail is prehensile, and, with the hind legs, it forms a tripod for support.

Some pangolins, such as the African black-bellied pangolin (Manis longicaudata, also classified as Phataginus tetradactyla) and the Chinese pangolin (M. pentadactyla), are almost entirely arboreal; others, such as the giant ground pangolin (M. gigantea, also classified as Smutsia gigantea) of Africa, are terrestrial. All are nocturnal and able to swim a little. Terrestrial forms live in burrows. Pangolins feed mainly on termites but also eat ants and other insects. They locate prey by smell and use their forefeet to rip open nests.

Britannica QuizDeadliest Animals Quiz

Their means of defense are the emission of an odorous secretion from large anal glands and the ploy of rolling up, presenting erected scales to the enemy. Still, larger predators such as leopards, lions, tigers, and hyenas are sometimes strong enough to penetrate the pangolin’s armour. Pangolins are timid and live alone or in pairs. In most species, only one young is born at a time, though broods of two or three offspring have been observed in some Asian species. Young pangolins are soft-scaled at birth and are carried on the female’s back for some time. Life span in the wild is unknown; however, some captive animals have lived as long as 20 years.

All pangolin species have been hunted for their meat, and the organs, skin, scales, and other parts of the body are valued for their use in traditional medicine. As a result, populations of all eight species have fallen to the point that they became threatened with extinction during the early 21st century. By 2014 the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) had classifed four species as vulnerable, two species—the Indian pangolin (M. crassicaudata) and the Philippine pangolin (M. culionensis)—as endangered, and two species—the Sunda, or Malayan, pangolin (M. javanica) and the Chinese pangolin—as critically endangered. So dire was the persecution of this group of animals that delegates at the 17th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) of Wild Fauna and Flora in Johannesburg, South Africa, voted to impose a ban on the international trade of all pangolins and their parts in 2016.

Virologists have noted that the coronaviruses associated with the Sunda pangolin and the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 associated with humans are morphologically and genetically similar. Some researchers reported that these viruses are close enough to suggest that the Sunda pangolin could have acted as an intermediate host that introduced the progenitor of SARS-CoV-2 into human beings.

Pangolins were once grouped with the true anteaters, sloths, and armadillos in the order Edentata, mainly because of superficial likenesses to South American anteaters. Pangolins differ from edentates, however, in many fundamental anatomic characteristics. The earliest fossil Pholidota date from the middle of the Eocene Epoch (56 million to 33.9 million years ago) in Germany.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia BritannicaThis article was most recently revised and updated by John P. Rafferty.

Pangolin | Description, Habitat, Diet, & Facts (2024)

FAQs

Pangolin | Description, Habitat, Diet, & Facts? ›

Solitary animals, pangolins are active mostly at night. Many live on the ground, but some, like the black-bellied pangolin

black-bellied pangolin
The long-tailed pangolin (Phataginus tetradactyla), also called the African black-bellied pangolin or ipi, is a diurnal, arboreal pangolin species belonging to the family Manidae, in the order Pholidota. They feed on ants rather than termites.
https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Long-tailed_pangolin
, also climb trees. Like anteaters, pangolins have long snouts and even longer tongues, which they use to snack on ants and termites they dig up from mounds with their powerful front claws.

What is a pangolins habitat and diet? ›

Pangolins are found in a variety of habitats including tropical and flooded forests, thick brush, cleared and cultivated areas, and savannah grassland; in general they occur where large numbers of food (ants and termites) are found.

What food do pangolins eat? ›

2. What do pangolins eat? Pangolins eat ants, termites and larvae and are often known as "the scaly anteater." Because they have no teeth, pangolins pick up food with their sticky tongues, which can sometimes reach lengths greater than the animal's body.

What is the ground pangolins habitat? ›

The Ground pangolin lives in southern and eastern Africa, from Sudan and north-eastern Chad to South Africa. It occurs in savanna and woodland, but not in desert or forest, often near a water source.

What is the pangolins natural habitat? ›

Pangolins live in many different habitats, including rainforests and grasslands. Four species of pangolins live throughout Asia: Chinese, Sunda, Indian, and Philippine pangolins. The other four—ground, giant, white-bellied, and black-bellied—live in Africa. Solitary animals, pangolins are active mostly at night.

What is the pangolins preferred habitat? ›

Indian pangolins are found across India and Sri Lanka. Their preferred habitat is grassland and forest, but they are also well adapted for dry, desert areas too – and have even been found in Sri Lankan rainforest. They have been recorded at an elevation of 2,300m in India's Nilgiri mountains.

What is the main predator of a pangolin? ›

Typically the only predators that are able to eat pangolins are large cats like leopards, tigers and lions, but other powerful animals like hyenas can also sometimes break through.

Why is pangolin so expensive? ›

Pangolins are highly prized in many parts of their range as meat and increasingly for their unique scales, particularly in China and Vietnam. While they are a potent defence against predators, their scales are useless against poachers, and all species in Asia and Africa are now under threat.

What is the lifespan of a pangolin? ›

The lifespan of the pangolin is unknown, but the observed lifespan in captivity is 20 years. They are sexually dimorphic, with the males being 10–50% heavier than females.

Are pangolins friendly to humans? ›

Pangolins are more afraid of you than you are of them. These shy, insectivorous creatures won't attack a human.

Do pangolins mate for life? ›

Pangolins do not mate for life. Male pangolins will fight over females, though the winning male will enjoy a fleeting 3-5 day 'relationship' with a female before moving on. The females will only have up to 1-2 offspring per year.

How many pangolins are left? ›

No one knows how many pangolins are left in the wild. But scientists and activists say the number is shrinking fast. Some experts say the pangolin is likely the most trafficked mammal in the world. It's impossible to say for certain, of course, because poachers don't exactly submit spreadsheets on their activities.

Why is pangolin so special? ›

Because of its appearance, the pangolin is often assumed to be a reptile, but it is in fact a mammal—the only mammal with scales. They eat insects like ants and termites with their 40-centimetre-long tongues and have existed for over 80 million years.

What do pangolins do all day? ›

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).

What is the biggest threat to pangolin? ›

The biggest threat to pangolins is illegal and unsustainable hunting by humans for their meat and scales. It's estimated that one million pangolins have been poached in the space of a single decade to satisfy demand, making them perhaps the world's most-poached animal.

Is a pangolin a predator or prey? ›

Pangolins are preyed upon by many of the top predators in their habitats, such as lions and leopards, as well as other carnivores, like hyenas, and have interesting defense behaviors when targeted by their predators.

Is a pangolin a herbivore or carnivore? ›

Diet. Pangolins are insectivorous. Most of their diet consists of various species of ants and termites, and may be supplemented by other insects, especially larvae. They are somewhat particular and tend to consume only one or two species of insects, even when many species are available to them.

Why are pangolins losing their habitat? ›

Human intrusions. Some pangolin habitats are disturbed by mining, quarrying, oil drilling, and other types of human activity.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Recommended Articles
Article information

Author: Zonia Mosciski DO

Last Updated:

Views: 5407

Rating: 4 / 5 (51 voted)

Reviews: 90% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Zonia Mosciski DO

Birthday: 1996-05-16

Address: Suite 228 919 Deana Ford, Lake Meridithberg, NE 60017-4257

Phone: +2613987384138

Job: Chief Retail Officer

Hobby: Tai chi, Dowsing, Poi, Letterboxing, Watching movies, Video gaming, Singing

Introduction: My name is Zonia Mosciski DO, I am a enchanting, joyous, lovely, successful, hilarious, tender, outstanding person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.