pangolin

/pang"geuh lin, pang goh"-/, n.

any mammal of the order Pholidota, of Africa and tropical Asia, having a covering of broad, overlapping, horny scales and feeding on ants and termites. Also called scaly anteater.

[1765-75; < Malay pengguling (dial. or bazaar Malay name for the animal) one who rolls up, equiv. to peng- agentive prefix + guling roll up or around; so called from its habit of curling into a ball when threatened]

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or scaly anteater

Any of about eight species of armoured placental mammals (genus Manis, order Pholidota) of tropical Asia and Africa.

Scales formed of cemented hairs cover the upper body, legs, and tail. Pangolins are 2–6 ft (60–180 cm) long and weigh 10–60 lb (5–27 kg). They have a conical head, no teeth, a long tongue, short legs, and a long prehensile tail. Some are arboreal; terrestrial species live in burrows. Nocturnal animals, pangolins locate prey, mainly termites, by smell and rip open nests with their front claws. When threatened, the pangolin (Malayan for "rolling over") curls up or emits an odoriferous secretion. See also anteater; echidna.

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▪ mammal

also called  Scaly Anteater,  

      any of the armoured placental mammals of the order Pholidota. Pangolin, from the Malayan meaning “rolling over,” refers to this animal's habit of curling into a ball when threatened. About eight species of pangolins, usually considered to be of the genus Manis, family Manidae, are found in tropical Asia and Africa. Pangolins are 30 to 90 cm (1 to 3 feet) long exclusive of the tail and weigh from 5 to 27 kg (10 to 60 pounds). Except for the sides of the face and underside of the body, they are covered with overlapping brownish scales composed of cemented hairs. The head is short and conical, with small, thickly lidded eyes and a long, toothless muzzle; the tongue is wormlike and extensile, up to 25 cm (10 inches) in length. The legs are short, and the five-toed feet have sharp claws. The tail, about as long as the body, is prehensile, and, with the hind legs, it forms a tripod for support.

      Some pangolins, such as the African black-bellied pangolin (Manis longicaudata) and the Chinese pangolin (M. pentadactyla), are almost entirely arboreal; others, such as the giant pangolin (M. gigantea) of Africa, are terrestrial. All are nocturnal and able to swim a little. Terrestrial forms live in burrows. Pangolins feed mainly on termites but also eat ants and other insects. They locate prey by smell and use the forefeet to rip open nests.

      Their means of defense are the emission of an odorous secretion from large anal glands and the ploy of rolling up, presenting erected scales to the enemy. Pangolins are timid and live alone or in pairs. Apparently usually one young is born at a time, soft-scaled at birth and carried on the female's back for some time. Life span is about 12 years.

      Pangolins were once grouped with the true anteaters, sloths, and armadillos in the order Edentata, mainly because of superficial likenesses to South American anteaters. Pangolins differ from edentates, however, in many fundamental anatomic characteristics.

      The earliest fossil Pholidota are bones indistinguishable from those of the African giant pangolin, found in a cave in India and dating to the Pleistocene Epoch (about 10,000 to 2,500,000 years ago).

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