Pangolins: 13 facts about the world's most hunted animal

They are Prince William's favourite and David Attenborough would take them
on his ark, but what makes pangolins, the world's most hunted creature, so
special?

The prehistoric pangolin, which walks on its hind legs due to the length and curvature of its
impressive claws. Photo: Judy Hurd

By Guy Kelly
10:00AM GMT 31 Jan 2015

9 Comments
With its armoured shell and peculiar gait, the humble pangolin looks more like an anteater prepped
for medieval battle than an animal under threat. Illegal trade in South Asia, however, has now
rendered the scaly mammals the most trafficked animal on earth, with some estimates claiming that
sales now account for up to 20 per cent of the entire wildlife black market.
In response to the pangolin's plight, numerous campaigns have been launched to raise awareness,
including the SavePangolins organisation and an app, Roll with the Pangolins, which

was endorsed by Prince William in his role as President of United for Wildlife. What's more, in
2012 Sir David Attenborough chose the Sunda pangolin, a species distributed throughout South East
Asia, as one of his ten favourite species he would 'save' from extinction.
So what is it that makes pangolin so special, and why has nobody heard of them? Here are 14 facts
to get you up to speed on one of the most threatened species on Earth.
1) There are eight species of pangolin
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From one extant family, Manidae, there are eight species of pangolin still in existence worldwide, as
well as several extinct species over their 80 million year evolution.
Four of the species are Asian: Chinese, Malayan (or Sunda), Indian and Palawan; while the others
are African: Tree pangolin, Giant ground pangolin, Cape pangolin and Long-tailed pangolin.
2) A pangolins tongue can be longer than its body
When fully extended, a pangolin's tongue can be over 40cm long, and starts deep in the chest cavity.
Pangolin do not have teeth and are unable to chew, however, so use their sticky tongues to collect
insects - up to 70 million a year - which are ground up by stones and keratinous spines inside their
stomachs.
3) Pangolins are the only mammals in the world covered in scales

The pangolin's large scales are made of keratin, the same material of which our fingernails, rhino
horns and bird talons are made - and account for 20% of its weight. The scales are very hard and
protect pangolin against animal predators, yet in traditional Chinese medicine are dried and roasted
as a method of relieving palsy, stimulating lactation and draining pus. As a result, pangolin scales
can sell on the black market for over $3,000 a kilogram, and have even been used to make coats.

Pangolin scales are sold by the bag in Asia,

where some believe they can cure everything from cancer to acne. PHOTO: Dan Challender

4) The name means 'something that rolls up'

The ground pangolin got its common name from the Malay (the national language of Malaysia,
Brunei and Indonesia) word 'pengguling', meaning 'rolling up', in reference to the animal's defence
mechanism of rolling into a tight, near-impenetrable ball when threatened. Unfortunately, this
practice makes it even easier for humans to capture and smuggle them, as hunters can simply pick
up.
5) Some climb trees, others dig holes
With their large, curved claws, pangolins are able both to grip on to overhanging tree branches and
dig through concrete. Arboreal pangolins, such as the African long-tailed species, live in trees, while
others dig burrows so large a human could stand up in them.
6) Even big cats don't know what to do with them
Aside from humans, pangolins' main predators include lions, tigers and leopards. Often, though,
rolling up in a ball is enough to outwit the big cats, as a pangolin's keratin scales are too hard for
even a lion to bite through.
7) Nobody knows how long they live
It is presumed that pangolins have a lifespan of twenty years in the wild, since the oldest recorded
pangolin lived for 19 years in captivity. The creatures are very rarely found in zoos, however, as time

spent in captivity tends to bring about stress, depression and malnutrition, leading to early death. As
such, it is unknown how long a pangolin can live for.
8) They emit a noxious acid like skunks
When threatened, pangolins defend themselves by rolling up in a ball and, if needed, lashing out
with their tale - the scales on which can easily cut a predator's skin. In addition they are also able to
emit a noxious-smelling acid from glands near the anus, similar to the that of a skunk, though
pangolins are unable to spray the liquid.

To protect itself, pangolins can roll up into a

near-perfect ball, covering their faces and undersides, which aren't as tough as their keratin scales. PHOTO: APWG, courtesy of Zoological Society of London

9) Millions have been traded and killed in the last decade

It is estimated that 100,000 pangolins are captured every year from across Africa and Asia, with
most shipped to China and Vietnam, where their meat and scales are sold. As a result, all eight
species of pangolin now feature on the International U