Ground Pangolin

The Ground Pangolin is one of four species of pangolin found in Africa. They have a body length between 50 and 60 cms (20 - 23.5 inches), a tail length between 40 and 50 cms (16 - 20 inches) and they weigh between 15 and 18 Kgs (33 - 40 lbs). With the exception of its underside, the Ground Pangolin is covered in extremely hard, brown coloured scales. It rolls up into a ball to protect itself when it is threatened and it can also use the scales on its long, broad tail as a form of defence, to slash at attackers. They also have anal scent glands that emit a foul, strong smelling fluid. Ground Pangolins have a very small head, small forelegs and powerful hind legs. They also have no teeth and they lack external ears. Their eyesight is poor but they have good hearing and a good sense of smell. Their tongue is extremely long, and it can reach lengths of up to 40 cms (16 inches). In a resting position the tongue is pulled back and stored in a pouch in its chest cavity. To enable them to catch termites and ants their salivary glands produce a sticky mucus which coats their tongue. They preen themselves by using their hind claws to lift their scales and scratch their skin. They also use their long, tongue to remove insects from beneath their scales.

## Range and Habitat

The African pangolin species are native to 15 African countries dispersed throughout southern, central, and east Africa. *M. temminckii* is the only species found in southern and eastern Africa. It prefers savannah woodland with moderate amounts of scrub at low elevations.

## Behavior and Social Organization

Little is known about the pangolin, as it is difficult to study in the wild. Pangolins are solitary animals and only interact for mating. They dig and live in deep burrows made of semispherical chambers. These burrows are large enough for humans to crawl into and stand up. Although it is capable of digging its own burrow, the ground pangolin prefers to occupy those abandoned by warthogs or aardvarks or to lie in dense vegetation, making it even more difficult to observe. African pangolins such as the ground pangolin prefer burrows, while Asian pangolins sleep in hollows and forks of trees and logs. They are nocturnal animals. They mark their territory with urine, secretions, and by scattering their feces. When threatened, their defense mechanism is to curl into a ball with their scales outward, hiss and puff, and lash out with their sharp-edged tails. The scales on the tails are capable of a cutting action to inflict serious wounds. Pangolins are also capable of emitting noxious acid from glands near the anus, similar to a skunk, to ward off predators. The ground pangolin's main predators are leopards, hyenas, and humans. Young pangolins ride on the base of their mothers' tails and slip under the mother when she curls up for protection.

## Diet

The ground pangolin is wholly myrmecophagous, meaning that they only feed on ants and termites. In fact, they demonstrate prey selectivity, only eating specific ant and termite species rather than foraging on the most abundant species. They have been observed exposing entire subterranean nests of a certain species of termites without eating any, preferring to find their species of choice. Their determination of suitable prey does not seem to be based on the size of the species alone, but likely also depends on the chemical and mechanical defenses of each species. Even in arid environments, ground pangolins remain selective in their dietary habits with regard to prey species and only prey on a small subset of available ant and termite species.

## Reproduction and Life Cycle

The lifespan of the pangolin is unknown, but the observed lifespan in captivity is 20 years. They are sexually dimorphic, with the males being 10-50% heavier than females. No defined mating season is known, but pangolins tend to mate during the summer and autumn. The gestation period ranges up to 139 days for ground pangolins and other African species. African species females usually birth only one offspring, but litters of three have been observed in Asian species. When born, a pangolin has soft, pale scales, which begin to harden by the second day. The young are usually about 6 in (15 cm) long and about 12 oz (340.19 g) at birth. They are nursed by their mothers for 3 to 4 months, but begin eating termites after only one month. Pangolins reach sexual maturity at 2 years old, when they leave their mothers and begin living alone.

## Threats and Conservation

The ground pangolin is listed as vulnerable by the IUCN Red List. The assessors state, “there is an inferred past/ongoing and projected future population reduction of 30-40% over a 27-year period (nine years past, 18 years future; generation length estimated at nine years) based primarily on ongoing exploitation for traditional medicine and bushmeat throughout the species' range and evidence of increased intercontinental trade to Asia.” All eight extant pangolin species are now considered to be threatened with extinction.

## Gallery

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