is considered a fascinating and unique animal, often referred to as the glass-made mammal due to its transparent appearance.
Let’s learn more about it from teketrek.
The most prominent Pangolin facts
The scientific name of the pangolin is Manidae, and it has several names including scaly anteater and scaly ant-eater.
It belongs to the order Pholidota, a group of vertebrates.
The pangolin is known for its ability to curl up completely to defend itself, using this technique to carry its full weight.
One of the most distinctive features of the pangolin is the absence of teeth.
Due to the lack of teeth, pangolins swallow small stones to assist in grinding their prey.
Pangolins are solitary animals, living alone on the ground and mostly active at night.
Pangolins are unique creatures with a keen sense of smell, compensating for poor eyesight.
Their nostrils help them locate prey buried underground or under tree bark.
If a pangolin does not finish its meal in one sitting, it marks the spot to return later and consume the remaining food.
The Pangolin is harmful, as touching its body leads to wounds, as resembles a knife.
Pangolins have a weak sense of sight, which they compensate for with a very keen sense of smell, as their nostrils help them search for prey. And determine its location under the soil or under tree bark.
Pangolin is known as an insectivorous animal.
The Pangolin specifications
- Body: The pangolin’s body is covered in scales.
- Length: with a length ranging from 1 to 3 feet.
- Head: It has a small elongated head to easily enter insect burrows.
- Tongue: It has long, mobile, perfectly designed tongue-like structures for catching prey.
- Legs: Pangolins have short legs with claws that help them climb trees and tear apart nests while searching for prey.
- Scales: The scales of the pangolin are made of keratin, crucial for newborns.
These soft scales harden into a tough armor that acts as a defense mechanism when the pangolin curls into a ball against threats.
Pangolins primarily feed
on ants and termites, secreting a foul-smelling substance from their anus to repel predators.
The pangolin digs with its snout claw, and holds its prey with the help of its sticky tongue.
Where are pangolins found?
Pangolins live in Asia and Africa, as the Chinese and Sunda pangolins live on the continent of Asia, and the giant pangolins, white pangolins, and black pangolins live on the continent of Africa.
Pangolin species:
There are several species of pangolins, divided into four:
Asian species – Chinese pangolin, Sunda pangolin, Philippine pangolin, and Indian pangolin.
The African species consist of the ground, giant, white-bellied, and black-bellied.
Reproduction stages of pangolins:
As pangolins are solitary animals, they only spend time with a mate during mating season.
The male remains in its den until it has offspring. The female and her young stay in burrows for up to four weeks after birth.
The young ride on their mother’s tail until weaning at around three months. Males mark their territory using scent glands, urine, and feces.
Females follow these scents in summer or fall to find a mate.
The gestation period varies by species, ranging from 70 to 140 days.
The young remain with their mothers until they reach sexual maturity at around two years old.
FAQs about the pangoins
? Who are pangolins
The pangolin is a small scaly mammal found in parts of Africa and Asia.
? Is the pangolin threatened with extinction
Pangolins live in Asia and Africa and are threatened with extinction.
What is the Indian pangolin scientific name?
Manis crassicaudata.
? What is the scientific name of pangolin
Pholidota
? What is the nickname of the pangolin
Scaly anteater.
Is pangolin a dinosaur
Although many people think of them as reptiles, pangolins are actually mammals. It is the only mammal covered with scales in the wild to protect it from predators.
How many pangolins are left?
Actually, it is unknown.
How long do pangolins live?
At the end of our article, we can conclude that pangolins play a very important role in ecosystems by controlling insect numbers, which in turn play an important role in maintaining soil aeration and fertility, as pangolins eat a number of
As many as 70 million ants each year.
It should also be noted that the threats pangolins face, as they are considered one of the most trafficked animals on the planet. More than a million pangolins have been illegally smuggled to China and Vietnam in the past decade, due to their scales that are used in… Manufacture of many traditional medicines that treat many diseases.
We hope that we have provided you with useful and valuable information and amazing facts about the pangolin.
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