Pangolins: The Scaly Anteaters

Pangolins are also known as scaly ant eaters. They are the members of Class Mammalia and order Pholidota. They share the house Manidae with only one genus Manis and 8 species. A whole of species of pangolins have come to be extinct today. The body of pangolins is covered by scales made of keratin and they are the only mammals to show this feature. They are distributed in the tropical regions of Africa and Asia. The name pangolin has been derived from a Malay word pengguling meaning something that rolls up. They are nocturnal animals which use their well industrialized sense of small to capture insects. The long-tailed pangolin is also active during the day time. They spend most of their time in the day by sleeping and remain curled up in the form of a ball.

Earlier they were kept together with the anteaters, sloths and the armadillos as they show features similar with them also in the order Xenarthra. But the fossil studies indicate that they are close relatives of order Carnivora. The physical appearance of pangolins is marked by the presence of large, hardened plate like-scales over their bodies. The scales in the juveniles are soft but they come to be hardened as the animal matures. Scales are made up of keratin. The nails as well as the claws of the tetrapod vertebrates are also made up of keratin. They are also compared with the walking pine cone. When disturbed they have the property to curl in the form of a ball and the scales act as bony armour and the face gets tucked up under the tail. Scales are sharp like a razor and furnish extra security serving as organs of offence and defence. The front claws are very long and are not convenient for walking so the animal uses fore-paws which are also curled inside while walking. They also secrete a noxious smelling acid from the glands situated near anus similar to the spray of skunk. The legs are short and are provided with sharp claws which are used for burrowing into the mounds of ants and termites as well as for climbing.

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The body length may part from 30-100 cm and the females are smaller than males. The tongue is very elongated and extends into the abdominal cavity. Due to convergent evolution the tongue is not attached to the hyoid bone. Larger species can expand their tongues as much as 40 cm with a diameter of only 0.5 cm. The section of brain that is connected to the capability of solving problem is very developed. Arboreal species live in hollow trees while the ground dwelling species dig tunnels private up to the depth of 3.5 m. They are also good swimmers. They lack teeth so unable to chew their food. The open the mounds of termite and ants with their front claws and then insert their long sticky tongues in them. The tongue is always moistened with saliva which helps in swallowing as well. Tree pangolins have strong nails to hang from the trees.

Gestation period is of 120-150 days. African females give birth to a single offspring at a time while Asian females can give birth up to three young ones. The weight of the young one may range from 80-450 g with soft scales over the body which becomes hard later on. The young one clings to the tail of the mom for about 2-4 weeks. Weaning may continue for about three months and they attain sexual maturity in two years. They are hunted in many parts of Africa and are popular as bush meat. They are also in great examine in China as their meat forms a very popular delicacy for the Chinese people. Chinese believe that the scales of pangolins cut swelling, promote blood circulation and heighten milk production in the breast of the feeding mothers. Deforestation is also responsible for their population declination. By the end of July 2010, about 1,800 kg of pangolin scales were exported.

They are at the risk of entering the category of endangered.

Pangolins: The Scaly Anteaters

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