Pangolin: The World's Most Trafficked Mammal

The pangolin is the world's only scaled mammal, and also its most trafficked wild animal. Eight species live in Africa and Asia, and every one of them is protected by international law, yet pangolins are hunted and smuggled in huge numbers for their meat and their scales. The animal itself is quiet, shy and harmless: a slow-moving, nocturnal creature that eats ants and termites, curls into a ball when frightened, and carries its single baby on its tail. Understanding the pangolin matters because its story shows how a false belief, the idea that its scales can heal disease, can push an entire group of animals toward extinction.

Pangolins are sometimes called scaly anteaters, although they are not closely related to anteaters. Their bodies are covered from head to tail with overlapping scales, and their long snouts and sticky tongues are built for one job: reaching into ant nests and termite mounds. The Indian pangolin (Manis crassicaudata) is the species found in Pakistan, living in the dry scrub forests of the Potohar Plateau and the Margalla Hills. This article explains what pangolins are, how they live, why they are trafficked, and what is being done to save them.

Pangolin Species at a Glance

Four pangolin species live in Asia and four in Africa. They range from small tree-climbing species to the giant ground pangolin, which can weigh as much as a large dog. All eight are listed on Appendix I of CITES, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, which bans all international commercial trade in them, and all eight are classed as threatened on the IUCN Red List.

Species	Where it lives	One special fact
Indian pangolin	Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh	Found in Pakistan's Potohar Plateau and Margalla Hills
Chinese pangolin	China, northern South Asia, South-East Asia	Critically endangered and heavily hunted for scales
Sunda pangolin	South-East Asia	Climbs trees with a long, gripping tail
Philippine pangolin	Palawan, Philippines	Lives only on a few Philippine islands
Giant ground pangolin	Central and West Africa	The largest pangolin species
Temminck's ground pangolin	Southern and eastern Africa	Walks on its hind legs when carrying its young
White-bellied tree pangolin	Central and West Africa	The most common African species in trade seizures
Black-bellied tree pangolin	Central and West Africa	The smallest pangolin, with a very long tail

A Coat of Keratin Scales

A pangolin's scales are its defining feature. They are made of keratin, the same protein as human fingernails and hair, and they overlap like the tiles of a roof, covering the animal's back, sides and tail. The face, belly and insides of the legs are covered in soft hair instead. When a pangolin is threatened, it rolls into a tight ball, tucking its head under its tail, so that a predator meets only sharp-edged scales. Lions and leopards have been seen unable to unroll a pangolin, and the animal can also lash out with its tail, whose scale edges can cut.

Scales do not make the pangolin invulnerable. They cannot stop a human hunter, and they are the very reason the animal is killed. Pangolins also have powerful front claws, which they use to tear open ant nests and termite mounds and to dig burrows. Some species climb trees, gripping branches with their claws and using their long, muscular tails as a fifth limb. Ground species dig deep burrows where they sleep during the day, sometimes taking over burrows dug by other animals.

An Ant-and-Termite Specialist

Pangolins eat almost nothing but ants and termites, and their whole bodies are shaped around that diet. They have no teeth at all. Instead, they use their sense of smell to find insect colonies, tear them open with their claws, and flick out an extraordinarily long, sticky tongue to lap up the insects. The tongue is anchored deep in the chest, not in the mouth, which is why it can reach so far into narrow tunnels. A single pangolin can eat a very large number of insects in one night, which makes it a useful controller of ant and termite populations for farmers, even though some farmers wrongly treat it as a pest.

Because they have no teeth, pangolins grind their food in a muscular stomach. They swallow small stones and sand along with the insects, and these help to crush the hard bodies of ants and termites, much as grit helps birds grind seeds in the gizzard. Pangolins also have strong stomach muscles and a special lining, so they can digest insects that would sting or bite other animals. Their diet is so specialised that pangolins in captivity are famously hard to feed, which is one reason rescue and rehabilitation is difficult.

A Solitary, Nocturnal Life

Pangolins are solitary animals that come out at night and sleep through the day. Each animal lives alone in its own territory, marked with scent, and meets others mainly to mate. During the day it sleeps curled up in a burrow, a hollow tree or thick vegetation. At night it walks slowly through the forest or scrub, sniffing for insect colonies, and it can cover a surprising distance on its nightly rounds.

Reproduction is slow, which makes pangolins especially vulnerable to hunting. After a gestation lasting several months, the female gives birth to a single pup. The baby is born with soft scales that harden within days, and it rides on its mother's tail as she moves about at night. The pup stays with its mother for months, learning where to find food, before becoming independent. When a species produces only one young at a time and takes years to mature, even moderate hunting can drive its numbers down faster than they can recover.

Why the Pangolin Is the Most Trafficked Mammal

The pangolin holds a grim record: it is described by conservation groups as the world's most trafficked mammal. The main driver is demand for its scales in some traditional medicine systems, where they are wrongly believed to treat illness. There is no scientific evidence that pangolin scales have any medicinal value; they are keratin, the same material as fingernails, and eating them has no proven health effect. Yet the belief keeps prices high and hunting profitable. Pangolin meat is also eaten as a delicacy in parts of Asia and Africa, and live animals are smuggled for private collections.

Habitat loss adds to the pressure. In Pakistan's Potohar region, scrub forest is cleared for farming and housing, roads cut through pangolin territory, and animals are killed by traffic or by farmers who mistake them for pests. Because pangolins are nocturnal and secretive, their decline is easy to miss: an area can lose its pangolins before anyone notices they are gone. Enforcement is improving, with seizures of scales regularly reported in Asia and Africa, but the trade networks are large and the profits are high.

Pangolins in Pakistan

Pakistan's pangolin is the Indian pangolin, and its stronghold is the Potohar Plateau of northern Punjab, including the Margalla Hills around Islamabad. It is also reported from the foothills of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Azad Jammu and Kashmir. The species is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and it is protected under provincial wildlife laws in Pakistan, which make hunting and trade illegal. Wildlife National Parks of Pakistan such as Margalla Hills National Park give pangolins some protected ground, but much of their Potohar habitat lies outside parks, in farmland and scrub where they are harder to guard.

Pakistani conservation groups, including WWF-Pakistan, have worked on pangolin awareness in Potohar villages, teaching people that the animal is harmless, protected and useful for controlling termites. World Pangolin Day, marked every February, has become a focus for school and media campaigns in the country. Researchers still know far too little about how many pangolins remain in Pakistan, because the animals are so hard to survey, and the research file for this article warns that published population figures conflict: any single number should be treated with caution and attributed to its source and date. What is certain is that the Potohar population is under pressure from habitat loss and poaching, and that it needs active protection.

How Pangolins Can Be Saved

Saving pangolins needs action on several fronts at once. Protecting scrub forest and connecting fragmented habitats gives animals room to live and breed. Reducing demand means challenging the myth about scales, since no medicine made from keratin can do what modern treatment does. Stronger enforcement, including penalties for poaching and smuggling, raises the risk for traffickers. Rescue centres need support because pangolins are difficult to keep alive in captivity, and released animals must be returned to safe habitat.

Ordinary people can help too. Anyone who sees a pangolin should leave it alone, observe from a distance, and report the sighting to the provincial wildlife department, since records help researchers map where pangolins survive. Farmers can be reassured that pangolins control termites rather than damaging crops. And nobody should buy products claiming to contain pangolin scales. The pangolin survived for millions of years with its remarkable coat of scales; whether it survives the next few decades depends on whether people decide that a living pangolin is worth more than its scales. Introduction to Wildlife explains why animals like the pangolin matter to whole ecosystems, and Protected Areas of Pakistan shows how protected ground helps threatened species.

Related Reading

• Conservation notes on ZoologistsWorld
• Wildlife notes on ZoologistsWorld
• Animal Diversity notes on ZoologistsWorld

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a pangolin in simple words?

A pangolin is a shy, nocturnal mammal covered in overlapping scales. It eats ants and termites with a long, sticky tongue, has no teeth, and rolls into a ball when threatened. Eight species live in Africa and Asia.

Why are pangolins called the most trafficked mammal?

Pangolins are hunted and smuggled in large numbers for their scales, which are wrongly believed to have medicinal value, and for their meat. Conservation groups describe them as the world's most trafficked mammal because of the scale of this illegal trade.

Do pangolin scales really cure disease?

No. Pangolin scales are made of keratin, the same protein as human fingernails, and there is no scientific evidence that they treat any illness. The belief is a myth, and it is the main reason pangolins are killed.

Are pangolins dangerous to humans?

No. Pangolins are harmless and shy. They avoid people, come out at night, and defend themselves only by rolling into a ball or lashing with their scaly tail.

Where do pangolins live in Pakistan?

The Indian pangolin lives mainly in the Potohar Plateau of northern Punjab, including the Margalla Hills around Islamabad, and is also reported from foothills in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

What should I do if I see a pangolin?

Leave it alone, watch from a distance, and report the sighting to your provincial wildlife department. Records of sightings help researchers map where pangolins survive, and the animal itself should never be caught or kept.

Key Takeaways

• The pangolin is the world's only scaled mammal, with eight species in Africa and Asia.
• Its scales are keratin, the same protein as fingernails, with no proven medicinal value.
• Pangolins eat ants and termites, have no teeth, and use a long, sticky tongue to feed.
• They are solitary and nocturnal, and females raise a single pup at a time.
• The Indian pangolin lives in Pakistan's Potohar Plateau and Margalla Hills and is Endangered.
• Habitat protection, demand reduction, enforcement and public reporting are all needed to save pangolins.

MCQs

1. What makes the pangolin unique among mammals?

• A. It lays eggs
• B. It is covered in overlapping scales
• C. It can fly
• D. It lives only in water

Answer: B

Explanation: The pangolin is the world's only scaled mammal, covered from head to tail in overlapping keratin scales.

2. Pangolin scales are made of which protein?

• A. Collagen
• B. Chitin
• C. Keratin
• D. Elastin

Answer: C

Explanation: Pangolin scales are made of keratin, the same protein as human fingernails and hair.

3. How many species of pangolin are there in the world?

• A. Four
• B. Six
• C. Twelve
• D. Eight

Answer: D

Explanation: There are eight pangolin species, four in Asia and four in Africa.

4. What do pangolins mainly eat?

• A. Fruit and leaves
• B. Ants and termites
• C. Fish and frogs
• D. Small mammals

Answer: B

Explanation: Pangolins eat almost nothing but ants and termites, which they lap up with a long, sticky tongue.

5. Which pangolin species lives in Pakistan?

• A. Sunda pangolin
• B. Giant ground pangolin
• C. Indian pangolin
• D. Temminck's pangolin

Answer: C

Explanation: The Indian pangolin (Manis crassicaudata) is the species found in Pakistan, mainly in the Potohar Plateau.

6. When threatened, a pangolin defends itself by:

• A. Running very fast
• B. Playing dead
• C. Rolling into a tight ball of scales
• D. Spraying a bad smell

Answer: C

Explanation: A threatened pangolin rolls into a tight ball, tucking its head under its tail so predators meet only sharp-edged scales.

7. Pangolins are listed on which CITES appendix, giving them the highest trade protection?

• A. Appendix I
• B. Appendix II
• C. Appendix III
• D. No appendix

Answer: A

Explanation: All eight pangolin species are listed on CITES Appendix I, which bans all international commercial trade in them.

8. A pangolin's long, sticky tongue is used for:

• A. Climbing trees
• B. Carrying its young
• C. Fighting predators
• D. Lapping up ants and termites

Answer: D

Explanation: The pangolin flicks out its extraordinarily long, sticky tongue to lap up ants and termites from inside their colonies.

9. In Pakistan, pangolins are mainly found in:

• A. The Thar Desert
• B. The Indus Delta
• C. The Potohar Plateau and Margalla Hills
• D. The Hunza Valley

Answer: C

Explanation: Pakistan's Indian pangolins live mainly in the Potohar Plateau, including the Margalla Hills around Islamabad.

10. What should you do if you see a pangolin in the wild?

• A. Catch it and keep it
• B. Observe from a distance and report it to wildlife authorities
• C. Feed it bread and milk
• D. Chase it for a photograph

Answer: B

Explanation: A wild pangolin should be left alone, watched from a distance, and reported to the provincial wildlife department.