Shanti
May 14th, 2007, 11:47 AM
Whats the heck is it? Sometimes its called the walking pine cone!
It looks like an anteater but has sharp scales that can be raised.
It rolls in a ball like an American armadillo but when it walks, it walks with its front paws turned inward to protect its claws. Thus it is walking on the front side of its wrist, instead of the palm side of its paw. It is slow on all fours.
It can walk like a biped, using its tail for balance. Its speed can reach 3MPH on its 2 back legs.
It has a gizzard like stomach and no teeth.
It has a very long sticky tongue.
Its has the spray like a skunk!!
Its a Pangolin!!! Pangolin, from the Malayan, meaning rolling over.
http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p197/ShantiVeritas/gallerypangolin.jpg
This critter is an old oddity.
Found on the African and Asian continents, its been around for approximately 40 million years.
This critter can protect itself by rolling into a ball allowing the tough sharp scales to become a barrier to predators.
It can also swing it tails and slice the predator with the razor sharp edges of its scales.
They also can spray a smelly scent to ward of a predator like a skunk can.
They are solitary for the most part, living on ants and termites which they dig up with their powerful claws.
They are discrete and nocturnal.
Little is known of their breeding habits.
They are pregnant for about 5 months.
Their young are born with soft scales and eyes open.
They cant walk but can creep around on their bellies.
When they start venturing out with mom, and danger approaches, mom will pull her baby under her and roll up into a ball protecting herself and child. They have usually one baby.
Mom carries her baby on her tail.
http://www.cites.org/gallery/speciespics/chinese_pangolin.jpg
The known, longest lived Pangolin was recorded at 13 yrs old.
Pangolins can groom themselves by lifting their scales so their claws can reach the skin.
Some are expect swimmers, some expert climbers.
They have no external ears, although their hearing is good.
Their sense of scent is well-developed, but their sight is poor.
The Giant Pangolin's tongue is about 2 feet long, and internally is anchored to the pangolin's hip bones.
The weight of the scales and skin make up about 20% of the pangolin's weight.
Pangolins vary in size. The Long-Tailed Pangolin is smallest, at about 3 feet long and weighing 3-4 pounds. The Giant Pangolin is almost 6 feet long and weighs 70 pounds.
Pangolins are in the genus Manis, family Manidae.
They're are 8 sub-species of Pangolin in the world:
Manis culionensis, Philippine Pangolin
Manis gigantea, Giant Pangolin
Manis temminckii, Cape or Ground Pangolin
Manis tricuspis,Tree Pangolin
Manis tetradactyla, Long-tailed pangolin
Manis crassicaudata, Indian Pangolin
Manis pentadactyla, Chinese Pangolin
Manis javanica, Malayan or Sunda Pangolin
They are unique in classification.
DNA studies has shown them to be strange offshoots of the Carnivora, such as cats, dogs, bears, hyenas, civets and mongooses. They are not related armadillo or anteater.
As a group they are endangered.
They are preyed upon by large carnivores such as the big cats and hyenas. But the largest threat is from man.
What does man want with them...
Scales are for medicines, also for making goods such as belts.
Skin is often used to make boots and other apparel like snake skin is sometimes used.
Some people eat them.
The big problem, illegal export!
All Pangolins are protected by CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora), an international agreement between governments.
Only 3 Pangolins are in Captivity in the US.
Here is a baby at the LA zoo.
It was retrieved, last year, from a couple that tried to smuggle it in from Africa.
Pangolins are very difficult to keep alive in captivity and none have bred in captivity.
http://www.cbc.ca/aih/STEAM/2005/Pangolin1.jpg
http://www.cbc.ca/aih/STEAM/2005/Pangolin2.jpg
These creatures are one of a kind. Pangolins are an oddity that has been around since long before man.
Lets hope they will be here much, much longer.
Still a very mysterious animal, we have much more to learn about them.
It looks like an anteater but has sharp scales that can be raised.
It rolls in a ball like an American armadillo but when it walks, it walks with its front paws turned inward to protect its claws. Thus it is walking on the front side of its wrist, instead of the palm side of its paw. It is slow on all fours.
It can walk like a biped, using its tail for balance. Its speed can reach 3MPH on its 2 back legs.
It has a gizzard like stomach and no teeth.
It has a very long sticky tongue.
Its has the spray like a skunk!!
Its a Pangolin!!! Pangolin, from the Malayan, meaning rolling over.
http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p197/ShantiVeritas/gallerypangolin.jpg
This critter is an old oddity.
Found on the African and Asian continents, its been around for approximately 40 million years.
This critter can protect itself by rolling into a ball allowing the tough sharp scales to become a barrier to predators.
It can also swing it tails and slice the predator with the razor sharp edges of its scales.
They also can spray a smelly scent to ward of a predator like a skunk can.
They are solitary for the most part, living on ants and termites which they dig up with their powerful claws.
They are discrete and nocturnal.
Little is known of their breeding habits.
They are pregnant for about 5 months.
Their young are born with soft scales and eyes open.
They cant walk but can creep around on their bellies.
When they start venturing out with mom, and danger approaches, mom will pull her baby under her and roll up into a ball protecting herself and child. They have usually one baby.
Mom carries her baby on her tail.
http://www.cites.org/gallery/speciespics/chinese_pangolin.jpg
The known, longest lived Pangolin was recorded at 13 yrs old.
Pangolins can groom themselves by lifting their scales so their claws can reach the skin.
Some are expect swimmers, some expert climbers.
They have no external ears, although their hearing is good.
Their sense of scent is well-developed, but their sight is poor.
The Giant Pangolin's tongue is about 2 feet long, and internally is anchored to the pangolin's hip bones.
The weight of the scales and skin make up about 20% of the pangolin's weight.
Pangolins vary in size. The Long-Tailed Pangolin is smallest, at about 3 feet long and weighing 3-4 pounds. The Giant Pangolin is almost 6 feet long and weighs 70 pounds.
Pangolins are in the genus Manis, family Manidae.
They're are 8 sub-species of Pangolin in the world:
Manis culionensis, Philippine Pangolin
Manis gigantea, Giant Pangolin
Manis temminckii, Cape or Ground Pangolin
Manis tricuspis,Tree Pangolin
Manis tetradactyla, Long-tailed pangolin
Manis crassicaudata, Indian Pangolin
Manis pentadactyla, Chinese Pangolin
Manis javanica, Malayan or Sunda Pangolin
They are unique in classification.
DNA studies has shown them to be strange offshoots of the Carnivora, such as cats, dogs, bears, hyenas, civets and mongooses. They are not related armadillo or anteater.
As a group they are endangered.
They are preyed upon by large carnivores such as the big cats and hyenas. But the largest threat is from man.
What does man want with them...
Scales are for medicines, also for making goods such as belts.
Skin is often used to make boots and other apparel like snake skin is sometimes used.
Some people eat them.
The big problem, illegal export!
All Pangolins are protected by CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora), an international agreement between governments.
Only 3 Pangolins are in Captivity in the US.
Here is a baby at the LA zoo.
It was retrieved, last year, from a couple that tried to smuggle it in from Africa.
Pangolins are very difficult to keep alive in captivity and none have bred in captivity.
http://www.cbc.ca/aih/STEAM/2005/Pangolin1.jpg
http://www.cbc.ca/aih/STEAM/2005/Pangolin2.jpg
These creatures are one of a kind. Pangolins are an oddity that has been around since long before man.
Lets hope they will be here much, much longer.
Still a very mysterious animal, we have much more to learn about them.