SUNDA PANGOLIN

Conservation status

Critically Endangered

Scientific classification

Kingdom:              Animalia

Phylum:                Chordata

Class:                     Mammalia

Order:                    Pholidota

Family:                  Manidae

Genus:                   Manis

Species:                 Manis javanica

Binomial name

Manis javanica

Physical

Its body is covered by rows of scales which are formed by a compressed, fibrous hair-like material. The belly, however, lack scales and the animal thus protects its soft underparts by rolling into a ball when feeling threatened.

Size

Head-body length :   up to 65 cm

Tail length :               up to 56 cm

Weight :                     up to 10 kg

Habitat

It is found throughout Southeast Asia, including Brunei, Cambodia, Java, Sumatra, Borneo, the Lesser Sunda Islands, Laos, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Myanmar and Vietnam. It prefers forested habitats (primary, secondary, and scrub forest) and plantations (rubber, palm oil). A large part of its live is spent in trees.

Diet

it feeds wholly on ants and termites, which it locates by its strong sense of smell. It possesses thick, powerful claws which it uses to dig into the soil in search of ant nests or to tear into termite mounds. The insects are gathered with its long, sticky tongue and swallowed whole - the Pangolin has no need for teeth. It is estimated that on average a Pangolin might eat around 200,000 ants or termites per day.

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