Pangolin
From Freepedia
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Manis culionensis |
Pangolins are mammals with large scales on their skin which can be found in parts of Africa and Asia. They are often also called scaly anteaters. The name pangolin originated from Malay language pengguling meaning curling.
They belong to the order Pholidota which contains a single family, Manidae, and a single genus, Manis, with eight species.
Their sizes vary with species, from 30 cm to 100 cm, with females being smaller than males. Pangolins have large, plate-like scales, which are an unusual feature among mammals and are actually hardened, hair like filaments. They can curl up into a ball when threatened, with their overlapping scales acting as armor. The scales on newborn pangolins are soft but harden as they mature. The Pangolin's scales are razor sharp, and provide extra defense for this reason. Although not their primary weapon, their powerful legs, built for digging through hard ground, are strong enough to break a human's leg in one blow. The Pangolin also can emit a noxious smelling acid from its rear, similar to the spray of a skunk. Pangolins have short legs, with sharp claws which they use for burrowing.
Pangolins are specialised insectivores that live almost exclusively on ants and termites. They lack teeth and the ability to chew: instead they tear open anthills or termite mounds with their powerful front claws and probe deep into them with their very long tongues. Pangolins have an enormous salivary gland in the chest to lubricate the tongue with sticky, ant-catching saliva.
Pangolin is eaten as a type of bush meat in parts of Africa. This, coupled with deforestation, has led to a large decrease in the numbers of Giant Pangolins, and that animal is now an endangered species. The smaller pangolins are still abundant, however, and the meat tastes similar to duck.
- ORDER PHOLIDOTA
- Family Manidae
- Palawan Pangolin, Manis culionensis
- Giant Pangolin, Manis gigantea
- Cape Pangolin or Temminck's Pangolin, Manis temmincki
- Tree Pangolin, Manis tricuspis
- Long-tailed Pangolin, Manis tetradactyla
- Indian Pangolin, Manis crassicaudata
- African Pangolin, Manis pentadactyla
- Malayan Pangolin, Manis javanica
- Family Manidae
External links
| Mammals |
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| Monotremata |
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Placentalia: Xenarthra | Dermoptera | Desmostylia | Scandentia | Primates | Rodentia | Lagomorpha | Insectivora | Chiroptera | Pholidota | Carnivora | Perissodactyla | Artiodactyla | Cetacea | Afrosoricida | Macroscelidea | Tubulidentata | Hyracoidea | Proboscidea | Sirenia |
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Marsupialia: Didelphimorphia | Paucituberculata | Microbiotheria | Dasyuromorphia | Peramelemorphia | Notoryctemorphia | Diprotodontia |
