While the eight pangolin species have many similarities in their characteristics and habits – they are also a few key differences. For instance, the four Asian pangolins can be told apart from the African species by the presence of bristles which emerge from between the scales.
The Chinese pangolin, Indian pangolin, Giant Ground pangolin and Temminck’s Ground pangolin live mostly on the ground. They have claws on the front feet that are significantly larger than the hind feet, and the tail is wide and similar in length to the pangolin’s body.
The Philippine pangolin, Sunda pangolin, black-bellied tree pangolin and white-bellied tree pangolin spend much of their time in trees, so their claws on the front feet and hind feet are similar in size, and their tail is prehensile, narrow and longer than the pangolin’s body.