February, the month of world Pangolin Day

N Munal Meitei *

Pangolin, Manis javanica :: Pix - Piekfrosch at German language Wikipedia

The 21st February is celebrated as the world pangolin day. Observation of this day has reminded us the importance of this lovely animal. Manipur being in the border State of India is a very important route for illegal trade of this only scaly mammal in the world. Recently, 129 kg. of pangolin scales were seized in Imphal from some poachers and as per usual weights, the number of animals that would have been killed for the such weights would be about 200-220 live pangolins.

Based on records, the number of pangolins traded is estimated to be between 200,000 and 300,000 animals per year and seized or intercepted is only about 10%". International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) also estimates that for illegal trade at least one million animals have been poached from the wild in the past 10 years. Now, the wild life crime is the second largest crime after drug lords in the world.

Pangolins also referred to as scaly anteaters are of the order Pholidota. The one extant family, Manidae, has three genera: Manis which comprises four species living in Asia, Phataginus which comprises two species living in Africa, and Smutsia which comprises two species also living in Africa. The species found in Manipur is Manis crassicaudata. The name pangolin comes from the Malay word "pengguling", meaning "something that rolls up". It is found in tropical regions throughout Africa and Asia.

Description

Pangolin is a solitary, shy, slow-moving, nocturnal mammal. Females are generally smaller than the males and have one pair of mammae. The pangolin possesses a cone-shaped head with small, dark eyes, and pinkish-brown skin. It has powerful limbs, tipped with sharp, clawed digits. It is an almost exclusive insectivore who catches with a specially adapted long, sticky tongue. The pangolin has no teeth, but has strong stomach muscles to aid in digestion.

The most noticeable characteristic of the pangolin is its massive, scaled armour, which covers its upper face and its whole body with the exception of the belly and the inside of the legs. These species range in size from 30 to 100 cm. and weighs 10–16 kg. These protective scales are rigid and made of keratin. It has 160-200 scales in total, about 40-46% of which are located on the tail. Scales can be 6.5–7 cm long, 8.5 cm wide, and weigh 7-10 grams. The skin and scales make up about one-fourth to one-third of the total body mass of this species.

Habitat

Pangolin has been recorded from various forest types, including rainforest and plains to middle hill levels. The animal can be found in grasslands and secondary forests, and is well adapted to desert regions as it is believed to have a tolerance to dry areas, but prefers more barren, hilly regions. It is distributed throughout India, Pakistan and South Asia and African countries. Some pangolin species found in African can climb trees and they are also good swimmers. They make their burrows nearby the trees, herbs, and shrubs where there is abundance of foods. Longevity of this animal in captivity can exceed 19 years.

Diet

Pangolin is almost entirely insectivorous and more specifically a myrmecophage . Its diet includes beetles, cockroaches, termites, and possibly worms, but mainly ants and termites. It feeds on the eggs, larvae, and adults of its prey, but eggs are the preferred choice. It is said that a single pangolin consumes as much as 70 million insects per year—mainly ants and termites. That's about 191,780 insects per day. An area that is home to 15 pangolins could potentially eat as many as 1.05 billion insects annually. Therefore, pangolins certainly help to control the insect-prey number, contributing to the delicate balance of our ecosystems services.

Reproduction

Pangolins are solitary and meet only to mate mainly during the summer or autumn months. Males are larger than females, weighing up to 50% more. Gestation lasts for approximately 120–150 days. African pangolin usually gives birth to a single at a time, but the asiatic species may give birth from one to three. Weight at birth is 80 to 450 g and the average length is 150 mm. At the time of birth, the scales are soft and white.

After several days, they harden and darken to resemble like an adult. At one month, they first leave the burrow riding on the mother's back. Weaning takes place at approximately three months of age, at which stage the young begin to eat insects in addition to nursing. At two years of age, the offspring are sexually mature and are abandoned by the mother.

Human impact and conservation status

Pangolins bear the unfortunate distinction of "most illegally traded mammal in the world". Pangolins are hunted and eaten in many parts of world and are one of the most popular types of bush meat. They are in great demand in South–East Asian countries mainly in China and Vietnam because of their scales and meat which widely believed to have great medicinal values. This, coupled with deforestation, has led to a large decrease in the numbers of pangolins.

In November 2010, pangolins were added to the Zoological Society of London's list of genetically distinct and endangered mammals. In India, pangolin is protected in scheduled 1 under Wild Life Protection Acts, 1972. Pangolin is now heavily exploited in all its natural ranges. Illegal demand has ever increased over the past few years and this may happen the animal to include in the list of the extinct animals. In Manipuri, pangolin is known as "shaphu." It was widely available in the past but now we hardly could see the animal. As they only have 1-2 offspring per year and again with high demand, the animal population is seriously reducing making it an endangering animal.

It is believed that almost all parts of the pangolin are used as food and medicine. The believed that pile cases can be cured by keeping in the pangolin smoke has also made the animal more endangered. It is also believed that pangolin scales can stimulate lactation or cure cancer or asthma which medical science has no proof. The scales are used to make into rings or charms. The skins are used to manufacture leather goods, including boots and shoes.

Of the eight species of pangolin, four species (Phataginus tetradactyla, P. tricuspis, Smutsia gigantea, and S. temminckii) are listed as vulnerable, 2 species (Manis crassicaudata and M. cullonensis) are listed as endangered, and 2 species (M. pentadctyla and M. javanica) are listed as critically endangered on the IUCN lists. Due to the ever increasing challenges, mainly in the form of illegal, international trade in skin, scales, and meat, the IUCN has re-categorised all eight species of pangolin on its Red List of Threatened Species and now each species is termed as threatened with extinction.

What we can do?

Pangolin, aside from being a very unique, insectivorous creature and the most trafficked mammal in the international illegal wildlife trade, it provide earth with all-natural pest control and are fantastic tenders of soil, and they do these things simply through their everyday behaviors. Tens of millions of years of pangolin evolution have produced an incredible specimen that is perfectly adapted for the niche they occupy. Their mere presence, in conjunction with that of the other organisms and processes within the habitat they live in, is absolutely imperative to continued healthy ecosystem functioning.

Their large and elongated claws enable them to burrow underground for shelter and to excavate ant and termite nests for food. In doing so, the soil is mixed and aerated—much like what happens when we rototill gardens or plow crop fields. This improves the nutrient quality of the soil and aids the decomposition cycle, providing a healthy substrate for lush vegetation to grow from. When abandoned, their underground burrows also provide habitat for other animals. Moreover, humans also benefit from the pangolin's work.

Researchers at Ohio State University claim billions of dollars are spent annually on repairing termite damage and treating and preventing infestations. Healthy populations of scaly anteaters throughout their historic range can help to alleviate these problems. Ecosystems are maintained only when all of their components—biotic and abiotic—work synergistically.

The extinction of pangolins may seem like a minimal loss, but it is really a collapse to our ecosystem. Poaching pangolins for their flesh, scales, and fetuses has threatened to these magnificent creatures. Therefore, on coming this day, it is our sole responsibility to save and conserve the lovely and only scaly mammal on the earth, the Pangolin.