Pangolins: A Tough Exterior, Delicate Species
Posted at 3:37 pm March 24, 2009 by Caitlin
It's Baba, the Pangolin!
I felt like a child again when we made a visit to the Children’s Zoo Petting Paddock. Of course we didn’t just play with the goats and sheep. We also met with Bob Cisneros, the supervisor of the Children’s Zoo. He has been working at the Zoo for fifteen years and at the Children’s Zoo for two years. His job at the Children’s Zoo involves giving children hands on experiences and allowing people to connect with wildlife.
After introduction, Mr. Cisneros showed us a very rare and unusual animal named Baba. Baba is a pangolin, which are native to equatorial Africa and Asia. There are a total of only eight species of pangolin, with four species in Africa and the other four in Asia. They live on the edge of the rainforest and spend a lot of their time climbing trees. Pangolins are excellent climbers because they have extremely strong muscles in their legs and tails. They also have a very keen sense of smell and long claws that help them dig. What make this animal unique are the tough scales that cover its body. These scales are made of keratin, the same type of protein we have in our own nails. However, when a pangolin is first born, their scales aren’t hard at all, they are soft. Another distinctive trait is the pangolin’s exceedingly long tongue, which helps it consume ants more easily.
The pangolin is endangered in the wild due to habitat destruction and poaching, because they are hunted for their hides and unique scales. At the San Diego Zoo, there are two pangolins, one male and the other female. To help reverse the pangolin’s decreasing population, the Zoo hopes to breed these two. They haven’t had offspring yet, but the Zoo hopes they do in the near future. Mr. Cisneros explained that they already have a nursery set up in case the female does give birth to offspring. The Zoo must be prepared to take good care of any offspring born because the pangolin which could be particularly challenging as few if any have been raised in captivity.
Caitlin, Conservation Team
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November 11th, 2009 at 5:27 pm
What are the species names of the two arboreal and two ground pangolins in Africa?
Moderator’s note: The giant pangolin Manis gigantea and Cape pangolin Manis temmincki are ground dwellers. The long-tailed pangolin Manis tetradactyla and tree pangolin Manis tricuspis are tree dwellers.
January 15th, 2010 at 7:36 am
Do you know what the population of Cape Pangolin is in Africa or where I could find out that information and what is being done to increase the population ?
Moderator’s note: I suggest starting your research with the IUCN’s Red List.