Species Profile: Temminck's Ground Pangolin

Hello again, welcome back to animals under threat. Today, we will be covering a mammal that is covered in scales and is a part of a group that is endangered. Please welcome, Temminck's Ground Pangolin (Smutsia temminckii) or Ground Pangolin for short.

A Pangolin is an anteater that is covered in scales and is found in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. Eight species make up the genus Manis, order Pholidota. They are characterized by their large overlapping scales that comes in brown/olive or gold colour and large claws (Blashfield Black, 2014). The Ground Pangolin scales are made of keratin which is the same material in which human fingernails are made of.

Ground Pangolin by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Headquarters.

 

 

Ground Pangolins live in areas that are low lying savannah forest with moderate scrub. They can also be found in areas of grassland, rocky slopes and floodplains. Ground Pangolins are water independent, but will drink from any free-standing water source if it is available (Pietersen et al, IUCN, 2014). They are mostly nocturnal although some have been found during daylight hours and they feed on ant and termite species (Pietersen et al, 2014). When threatened, Pangolins curl into a tight ball with their scales pointing outwards, providing protection and causing injury to the predator. If they cannot curl into a ball quickly, Pangolins will stand up and use their claws or tail to attack threats (Wang et al, 2016).

Pangolin curl into a ball, scales and map by https://www.pangolinsg.org/pangolins/

 

Pangolins are under threat because of bush meat, traditional medicine, international trading and electric fences. They are hunting for their meat as they are considered to be a delicacy in some parts of the world while their scales are used for traditional medicine and clothing. Pangolins are also under threat from electric fences around farmlands as they would curl around the wire after the first shock and will be continually shocked until they die (Pietersen et al, 2014).

 

Next time, we will be covering a butterfly that has recently become endangered in Australia.

 

 

 

References

Blashfield Black, J. 2014, Pangolins.

 

Pietersen, D.W., McKechnie, A.E. & Jansen, R. 2014, "A Review of the Anthropogenic Threats Faced by Temminck's Ground Pangolin, Smutsia temminckii, in Southern Africa", South African Journal of Wildlife Research, vol. 44, no. 2, pp. 167-178.

 

Pietersen, D.W., McKechnie, A.E. & Jansen, R. 2014, "Home range, habitat selection and activity patterns of an arid-zone population of Temminck's ground pangolins, Smutsia temminckii", African Zoology, vol. 49, no. 2, pp. 265.

 

Pietersen, D., Waterman, C., Hywood, L., Rankin, P. & Soewu, D. 2014. Smutsia temminckii. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2014: e.T12765A45222717.

 

Wang, B., Yang, W., Sherman, V.R. & Meyers, M.A. 2016, "Pangolin armor: Overlapping, structure, and mechanical properties of the keratinous scales", Acta Biomaterialia, vol. 41, pp. 60-74.

 

Picture references

https://www.pangolinsg.org/pangolins/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ground_pangolin