Indian Pangolin

• 05 Jan 2021

Why in News

Recently, the Odisha Forest department has stressed the need for stricter monitoring of social media platforms to check pangolin poaching and trading.

Key Points

• About:
  
  • Pangolins are scaly anteater mammals and they have large, protective keratin scales covering their skin. They are the only known mammals with this feature.
• Diet:
  
  • Insectivore- Pangolins are nocturnal, and their diet consists of mainly ants and termites, which they capture using their long tongues.
• Types:
  
  • Out of the eight species of pangolin, the Indian Pangolin (Manis crassicaudata) and the Chinese Pangolin (Manis pentadactyla) are found in India.
  • Difference:
    
    • Indian Pangolin is a large anteater covered by 11-13 rows of scales on the back.
    • A terminal scale is also present on the lower side of the tail of the Indian Pangolin, which is absent in the Chinese Pangolin.
• Habitat:
  
  • Indian Pangolin:
    
    • It is widely distributed in India, except the arid region, high Himalayas and the North-East.
    • The species is also found in Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal and Sri Lanka.
  • Chinese Pangolin:
    
    • It is found in the Himalayan foothills in Eastern Nepal, Bhutan, Northern India, North-East Bangladesh and through Southern China.
• Threats to Pangolins in India:
  
  • Hunting and poaching for local consumptive use (e.g. as a protein source and traditional medicine) and international trade for its meat and scales in East and South East Asian countries, particularly China and Vietnam.
  • They are believed to be the world’s most trafficked mammal.
• Conservation Status:
  
  • Wildlife Protection Act, 1972: Schedule I
  • IUCN Red List: Endangered
  • CITES: Appendix I

Source:TH