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Since pangolins resemble armadillos and anteaters in the use of the tongue and the ability to curl into a ball, they were once grouped with them in the order Edentata. They are still called sometimes by their common name of scaly anteaters. Pangolins have been placed in the group Xenarthra.
There is a story of a villager that knocked a pangolin out and brought it back to the village with it around his neck. But the pangolin regained conscience and quickly tried to curl up into a ball. Unfortunately the villager's neck was caught in the middle and he was found strangled to death with the pangolin still wrapped around him.
Perception Channels: tactile ; chemical
It is hunted frequently in Pakistan because some of it's body parts are used for medicinal purposes. Scales are thought of as an aphrodisiac. They are sometimes used to make necklaces. Boots and shoes are made of their skin.
US Federal List: no special status
CITES: appendix ii
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: near threatened
This species poses no threat to humans.
Manus crassicaudata eat termites that would otherwise destroy crops and buildings.
Manis crassicaudata has a myrmecophagous diet. They mainly eat termites, ants and their eggs, although one Indian pangolin's stomach was reportedly filled with beetle wing sheaths, cockroaches, and skins of worms.
They do not have good hearing or eyesight, instead they rely on their sense of smell to locate the nests of ants and termites. They have 3 main claws that allow them to dig through tough soil. Once they locate and expose the nests their tongues allow them to infiltrate the nest sites with ease. They rapidly "lick" their tongue along the nests as if they were drinking water to catch their prey. Since Manis crassicaudata have no teeth all of the process of "chewing" is done in the stomach. They have a two chambered stomach. One is used for storage, the other which is 1/5 the total size of the stomach is rough and lined with thick muscular tissue. This is the part of the stomach that "chews" and grinds the food before it goes to the intestines.
They prefer several species of prey item, for instance, they might pass up ants and termites under logs in favor of termites in mounds.
Manis crassicaudata is found in India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan.
Biogeographic Regions: oriental (Native )
Manis crassicaudata occupy a variety of habitats. They have been found in tropical rainforests, subtropical thorn forests, plains and the lower slopes of mountains.
Habitat Regions: tropical ; terrestrial
Terrestrial Biomes: savanna or grassland ; forest ; rainforest ; scrub forest
Average lifespan
Status: captivity: 13.0 years.
Average lifespan
Status: captivity: 13.5 years.
Head and body length of Manis crassicaudata can range from 45-75cm, and the tail can be 33-45cm. Males are generally larger than females. The head is small and triangular in shape and the body is slender and long. Manis crassicaudata is covered with about 15-18 rows of tough scales along the dorsal side of its head and body, and about 14-16 rows of scales on its tail. These scales are yellow-brown or yellow-gray in color and made of fused hair. The tough surface protects them from predators, prey, parasites, cold weather, and sharp rocks when they burrow. The scales make up 1/4 to 1/3 of it's body mass. They possess 5 powerful claws on each limb, 3 of which are adapted for digging burrows or locating their prey's nests. They have no teeth. Their tongue, which is 23-25.5cm long, is their main tool for capturing food. It has muscular attachments extending all the way to the pelvis.
Range mass: 5 to 35 kg.
Range length: 45 to 75 cm.
Other Physical Features: endothermic ; bilateral symmetry
Average basal metabolic rate: 6.923 W.
Little is known about the reproduction patterns of Manis crassicaudata. Births have been recorded in January, March, July, and November. The gestation period is between 65-70 days. Females give birth to a single young, and ocassionally two can be produced. Newborns can weigh from 200-500 grams. Their scales are soft, eyes are functional, and can immediately crawl on its own. At about 1 month of age the young are carried on the dorsal base of the mother's tail when foraging, and at about 3 months of age the young are weaned. The longevity of Manis crassicaudata under captive conditions is greater than 13 years. Nothing is known of longevity in the wild.
Key Reproductive Features: gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); sexual
Average birth mass: 350 g.
Average gestation period: 67 days.
Average number of offspring: 1.
The Indian pangolin (Manis crassicaudata), also called thick-tailed pangolin and scaly anteater is a pangolin native to the Indian subcontinent.[2] Like other pangolins, it has large, overlapping scales on its body which act as armour. The colour of its scales varies depending on the colour of the earth in its surroundings. It can also curl itself into a ball as self-defence against predators such as the tiger. It is an insectivore feeding on ants and termites, digging them out of mounds and logs using its long claws, which are as long as its fore limbs. It is nocturnal and rests in deep burrows during the day.
It is not common anywhere in its range, and is threatened by hunting for its meat and for various body parts used in traditional medicine.[2]
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The Indian pangolin is a solitary, shy, slow-moving, nocturnal mammal.[3] It is about 84–122 cm (33–48 in) long from head to tail, the tail usually being 33–47 cm (13–19 in) long, and weighs 10–16 kg (22–35 lb). Females are generally smaller than the males and have one pair of mammae. The pangolin possesses a cone-shaped head with small, dark eyes, and a long muzzle with a nose pad similar in color, or darker than, its pinkish-brown skin. It has powerful limbs, tipped with sharp, clawed digits.[3] The pangolin has no teeth, but has strong stomach muscles to aid in digestion.[3] The most noticeable characteristic of the pangolin is its massive, scaled armour, which covers its upper face and its whole body with the exception of the belly and the inside of the legs. These protective scales are rigid and made of keratin. It has 160–200 scales in total, about 40–46% of which are located on the tail. Scales are 6.5–7 cm (2.6–2.8 in) long, 8.5 cm (3.3 in) wide, and weigh 7–10 g (0.25–0.35 oz). The skin and scales make up about one-fourth to one-third of the total body mass of this species.[4]
The Indian pangolin has been recorded in various forest types, including Sri Lankan rainforest and plains to middle hill levels. It inhabits grasslands and secondary forests, and is well adapted to dry areas and desert regions, but prefers more barren, hilly regions. In Sri Lanka, it was sighted at an elevation of 1,100 m (3,600 ft), and in the Nilgiri mountains at 2,300 m (7,500 ft). It prefers soft and semi-sandy soil conditions suitable for digging burrows.[5][6]
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The Indian pangolin is nocturnal and mostly active intermittently between 17:00 and 05:00 hr. The peak period of activity was observed between 20:00–21:00 hr in captive individuals with some individual variation.[7]
The Indian pangolin does not climb trees, but it does value the presence of trees, herbs, and shrubs in its habitat because it is easier to dig burrows around them. Features that promote an abundance of ants and termites like grasses, bare grounds, bases of trees, shrubs, roots, leaf litter, fallen logs and elephant feces are often present in pangolin habitats.[5]
Pangolin burrows fall into one of two categories: feeding and living burrows. Feeding burrows are smaller than living burrows (though their sizes vary depending on the abundance of prey) and are created more frequently during the spring, when there is a greater availability of prey. Living burrows are wider, deeper, and more circular, and are occupied for a longer time than feeding burrows, as they are mainly used to sleep and rest during the day. After a few months, the pangolin abandons the burrow and digs a new one close to a food source. However, it is not uncommon for the pangolin to shift back to an old burrow.[3]
The Indian pangolin is an almost exclusive insectivore and principally subsists on ants and termites, which it catches with a specially adapted long, sticky tongue. It is specialised to feed on ants and termites, but also forages for beetles and cockroaches. It feeds on the eggs, larvae, and adults of its prey, but eggs are the preferred choice.[3] In the Potohar region of the Punjab province, the majority of its diet was found to consist of two types of ants, Camponotus confuci and Camponotus compressus.[3] Other matter such as plant matter, stones, sand, and clay are consumed as well and in concert with strong stomach muscles aid in breaking down the food in the stomach. The Indian pangolin is nocturnal and uses its well-developed sense of smell to locate ant nests or termite mounds and other food sources. Foraging mostly takes place on the ground but may include arboreal ants, as seen in the rainforest canopy of Sri Lanka. Pangolins tear apart and dig into mounds by using the three centre claws on their forefeet, throwing loose soil backwards with their hind feet.[8] When feeding, the rostral part of the pangolin's tongue is quickly inserted and withdrawn to capture prey. This movement is also used for drinking.[3]
Few details are known about the breeding behaviour of the Indian pangolin. During the animal's mating period, females and males may share the same burrow and show some diurnal activities. Males have testes in a fold of the skin located in their groin areas. The female's embryo develops in one of the uterine horns. The gestation period lasts 65–70 days; the placenta is diffuse and not deciduate. Usually, a single young is born, but twins have been reported in this species.[9] The young weigh 235–400 g at birth and measure roughly 30 cm. The newborn animals have open eyes, and soft scales with protruding hairs between them. The mother pangolin carries her young on her tail. When the mother and young are disturbed, the young pangolin is held against its mother's belly and protected by the mother's tail.
The Indian pangolin is threatened by poaching for its meat and scales, which are used and consumed by local people, but are also increasingly traded internationally.[2] Various parts of the pangolin are valued as sources of food and medicine. The scales are used as an aphrodisiac, or made into rings or charms. The skins are used to manufacture leather goods, including boots and shoes.[3] The majority of hunting is carried out by nomads and trained local hunters.[4] Indian pangolin body parts have been trafficked for consumption in China since at least the early 2000s.[10] Pangolins are the most heavily trafficked protected mammals.[11] Other threats include habitat loss, e.g. through deforestation.
The Indian pangolin is listed on CITES Appendix I since January 2017 and is protected in all range countries.[2]
Successful reproduction by Indian pangolins has been reported from several zoos, including Calcutta Zoo,[12] Oklahoma Zoo,[13] and Nandankanan Zoological Park.[14][15] Pangolins were found to not show any significant morphological changes during pregnancy. Births in captivity have been reported throughout the year except for May and June.[8] At birth a baby pangolin weighed 235 g and measured 30 cm in total length, including 12.5 cm of tail. A three-day-old Indian pangolin born at Oklahoma Zoo measured 310 mm from tip to tip with a 125 mm tail.[13]
Within its range it is known as 'khawlyaa manjar', ”खवल्या मांजर" in Marathi; saal khapri in Chhattisgarhi, বন-ৰৌ bon-rou in Assamese;, పొలుశు పంది or అలుగు in Telugu, eenampechi "ഈനാംപേച്ചി" in Malayalam, azhungu or alangu 'அலங்கு' in Tamil, bajrakapta 'ବଜ୍ରକାପ୍ତା' in Odia; kaballewa in Sinhala; chippu handi "ಚಿಪ್ಪು ಹಂದಿ" in Kannada.[16]
The Indian pangolin (Manis crassicaudata), also called thick-tailed pangolin and scaly anteater is a pangolin native to the Indian subcontinent. Like other pangolins, it has large, overlapping scales on its body which act as armour. The colour of its scales varies depending on the colour of the earth in its surroundings. It can also curl itself into a ball as self-defence against predators such as the tiger. It is an insectivore feeding on ants and termites, digging them out of mounds and logs using its long claws, which are as long as its fore limbs. It is nocturnal and rests in deep burrows during the day.
It is not common anywhere in its range, and is threatened by hunting for its meat and for various body parts used in traditional medicine.
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