Manis pentadactyla

The Chinese pangolin is a specialized species with basically degenerated vision and a particularly keen sense of smell. The pangolin has a small liver, weak liver detoxification function, and a weak immune system. It has a single-chamber stomach covered with a keratin membrane, and the mucous membrane of the gastric glands is densely covered with many "S"-shaped folds, which grind food with small gravel swallowed into the stomach when swallowing. The surface of the pangolin's intestine is smooth, and the small intestine is long.

Likes hot weather and can climb trees. Can dig holes 2-4 meters deep and 20-30 cm in diameter in the soil. The diameter of the nest at the end is about 2 meters. Uses long tongue to lick termites, ants, bees or other insects. Wild beasts and birds of prey are natural enemies, and are occasionally attacked by domestic dogs.

Chinese pangolins lead a solitary life. Although they are highly terrestrial animals, they are also fully capable of climbing trees and are good swimmers. Pangolins often move their limbs slowly, using their knuckles with their front claws curled underneath, producing some very distinctive footprints. Occasionally, they may raise their hind legs and stand more upright with their front claws in the air, a posture they also take when attacking termite nests.

The Chinese pangolin's long claws dig out a burrow where they sleep during the day, and in the evening they go out to look for food. Chinese pangolins have poor eyesight, but do not rely on vision, but rather scent to find prey. They use their powerful front claws to break termite or ant nests, and then use their long, sticky tongue to scoop the insects into their mouths. When eating, pangolins can close their nostrils and ears to prevent biting insects from swarming them, and thick eyelids can cover their eyes. Because they lack teeth, their meals are ground up in their muscular stomachs.

Chinese pangolins mate in April and May and give birth in December or January of the following year. The young cubs lie on the back of the mother and go out with her. In Nepal, Chinese pangolins give birth between April and May. Newborns measure about 45 cm in length and weigh about 450 grams. They have no scales on their bodies, and although their bodies are soft and flexible for the first two days of their lives, they are able to walk. The young pangolins are carried on the mother's tail or back. If the mother feels threatened, she will curl the cub under her body or in her tail. Male pangolins show parental instincts and will share the same den with the female and her cubs.

In late summer or early autumn, male Chinese pangolins may be observed mating with females, and mating between the victor and the female is completed within 3-5 days. The Chinese pangolin spends the winter in a deep burrow located next to a termite nest, which provides a convenient food source. During this time, the female gives birth to a single young, which is raised in the burrow during the winter and emerges with its mother outside in the spring. Once outside the burrow, the young pangolin is brought to the mother on her tail. The Chinese pangolin reaches sexual maturity at around 1 year old.

The Chinese pangolin is widely hunted in Asia for food and traditional medicine. The species has been drastically reduced in its native habitat. Under international conventions, any commercial use of the Chinese pangolin from the wild is prohibited. Export and trade are prohibited in many different countries and regions, including Bangladesh, China, India, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand and Vietnam, where hunting and consumption are prohibited. In China, illegal hunting, smuggling or trafficking can result in a sentence of more than five years in prison, and in serious cases, life imprisonment.

Pangolins are specialized species with basically degenerated vision and a keen sense of smell. They mainly feed on termites and ants, with dark hard scales on their heads and bodies and a soft abdomen. Pangolins are nocturnal burrowing animals that like heat and generally live in sunny hills with little human interference, abundant food and water sources, and dense shrubs and grass. Pangolins have low reproductive capacity, generally only giving birth to one litter per year, and only one cub per litter. The reproductive life of females is estimated to be only 15 years at most. All species of pangolins naturally distributed in China are national first-class protected wild animals.

Listed in the first level of China's "National Key Protected Wildlife List" (February 5, 2021).

World Records:

Most trafficked wild mammal: The pangolin, also known as the scaly anteater. Its scales are made of keratin, the same substance that forms hair and horns. Pangolins' scales are an effective defense against predators: When threatened, they curl up into a ball to protect their abdomen, so that the pangolin's back faces outward. Sadly, it's their defensive scales that have led to their drastic decline. According to the World Conservation Union, more than 1 million pangolins were illegally traded between 2000 and 2013. In some cultures, pangolin scales are considered valuable medicine, and they are also hunted for food. (Guinness World Records)

The Chinese pangolin is endemic to China and is found in 18 provinces (municipalities and autonomous regions), including Guangdong, Guangxi, Yunnan, Fujian and Chongqing. According to experts, in recent years, Guangdong Province has recorded images of Chinese pangolins in eastern Guangdong, northern Guangdong and the Pearl River Delta.

Chinese pangolins live in wet wooded areas in hills, foothills and plains. They live in a variety of habitats, including tropical forests, coniferous forests, evergreen broad-leaved forests, bamboo forests, grasslands and farmlands.

The body is relatively slender. The back, from the forehead to the dorsal and ventral surfaces of the tail and the outer sides of the limbs are covered with tile-like scales, arranged like fish scales, so it is also called dace. There are several bristles between the scales, and the scales are mostly black-brown and brown-brown. The dorsal scales are parallel to the body axis, with 15-18 rows, and the ventral surface from the lower forehead to the base of the tail and the inner sides of the limbs is scaleless but covered with hair. The body length is 33-59cm. The weight is 2-7kg; the head is small and conical. There are no teeth. The tongue is long, usually more than 20cm. The eyes are small. The external ears are flap-shaped and underdeveloped. The tail is 21-40cm long, flat, slightly raised on the back, and has 14-20 scales on the side edge of the tail. The limbs are short and stout, with 5 toes on both the front and rear limbs, and the claws are strong and sharp, especially the midd