Ten Things I Like About... Podcast

Pangolins: Defense Mechanisms

Summary: How do pangolins defend themselves from predators? They actually have five different strategies. Join Kiersten as she talks about her fifth favorite thing about pangolins.
 
For my hearing impaired listeners, a transcript of this podcast follows the show notes.
 
Show Notes:
animaldiversity.org
bioweb.uwlax.edu
iucn.org
www.savepangolins.org
The Encyclopedia of Mammals edited by Dr. David Macdonald
Pangolin Conservation Organizations: 
Rare and Endangered Species Trust - www.restnamibia.org
Save Vietnam’s Wildlife - www.svw.vn
 
Transcript
(Piano music plays)
Kiersten - This is Ten Things I Like About…a ten minute, ten episode podcast about unknown or misunderstood wildlife.
(Piano music stops)
 
Welcome to Ten Things I Like About… This is a podcast about misunderstood or unknown creatures in nature. Some we’ll find right out side our doors and some are continents away but all are fascinating. 
 
This podcast will focus ten, ten minute episodes on different animals and their amazing characteristics. Please join me on this extraordinary journey, you won’t regret it.
 
This episode continues pangolins and my fifth favorite thing about pangolins is how they protect themselves! 
 
The pangolin’s main defense is the thing that they are most well known for, their scales. They are covered from snout to tail in hard, thick scales made of keratin. These precious animals are often referred to as the scaly anteater and for a more visually amusing nickname, walking artichokes. The scales have an overlapping patten on body that resembles a suit of armor and hides all of their soft skin on their back and legs. Their scales are a pretty good defense against anything that might want to eat them, as well as protecting them from what they eat, ants. For a more in depth discussion of pangolin scales, please listen to the first episode in this series. 
 
Scales are the first layer of defense,  but next steps will depend on the species of pangolin which is further dependent on whether it is a ground pangolin or a tree pangolin. 
 
Ground pangolins dig burrows to sleep in and to raise their young. As they forage for food they can wander far from their burrows, but if they are close enough to them when threatened they will try to flee to their burrow to escape predators, such as lions and hyenas in Africa, and large cats such as leopards in the Asian areas.  Tree pangolins, if on the ground, will quickly head to the nearest tree. If they encounter a predator in a tree, they will climb down just as quickly or scurry out to the far reaches of a branch where a predator cannot go. They have been known to swim into water to flee from predators that will not follow them there. Pangolins are great swimmers.
 
If ground pangolins, including the Giant pangolin and the Cape ground pangolin, cannot get to their burrow they will use their tail like a club and swing it back and forth. The edges of the scales on their tails are sharp. The sharpness derives from the design of the scale, it tapers to a thinner width toward the end of the scale and the scales are also honed to a sharpness by rubbing against the rough ground and rocks similar to sharpening a knife on a whetstone. The pangolins are able to raise the scales on their tails slightly and combined with a slashing motion can be extremely deadly to a predator. Imagine an ancient Mayan club-like weapon with blades made out of sharpened obsidian on the sides. swinging this into an enemy could leave quit a wound. That’s what pangolins can do with their tail.
 
Tree pangolin scales are also sharp but I have found no reports of them using their tails in this manner.  That doesn’t mean that they don’t, it just means we haven’t seen them do it.
 
The next defensive step that pangolins will take is something that all pangolins do and that is curl up in a ball. And when I say ball, I mean a ball. When they curl up they are perfectly round. 
 
Now, It doesn’t help them get away from a predator that is trying to eat them but it does protect all of their soft body parts. The scales that are their first layer of defense do not cover the end of the nose or eyes nor do they cover the underbelly. In fact, their underbelly is only covered with fur and can be a vulnerable spot if a predator can get their claws or teeth on it. So when a pangolin curls up, their outer scales completely cover their delicate nose and soft underbelly. Their long tail actually wraps over their nose and head and flattens down their back essentially locking in place. A rolled up pangolin looks a bit like a perfectly round spiral.
 
The abdominal muscles of the pangolin are extremely strong and can be held taught making it virtually impossible to uncurl them against their will. If a predator tries to unfurl a pangolin, they will cut their paw or mouth on the sharp edges of their scales. Pangolins can hold the ball for some time, not indefinitely but usually long enough that a predator looking for an easy meal will tire and leave them be. 
 
In Africa, scientists and filmmakers have seen prides of lions actually give up trying to get into a curled up pangolin. The lions will bat it around to try and make it uncurl, pick it up in their mouths, which usually doesn’t work out because the scales are pretty slick, and try to bite through the scales, which also doesn’t work because the scale are too thick. The lions eventually just walk away and leave the pangolin alone and after a few minutes the pangolin unfurls and goes on his or her way unharmed.
 
Believe it or not there is one last layer of defense the pangolin can use if a predator is able to pick them up. They have scent glands at the base of their tails they use for communication with other pangolins. When they are threatened they can spray a noxious liquid from their scent glands that will hopefully make the predator think twice about continuing to bother the pangolin.
 
Now who exactly are pangolins protecting themselves from. Who are their predators? As I mentioned before, in Africa pangolins need to worry about lions, hyenas, the smaller tree pangolins must all watch out of African Golden cats.  The Asian species must beware of leopards and pythons. The Giant ground pangolin found in Africa has no natural predators.
 
There is one other predator that pangolins must be aware of including the Giant Ground pangolin, but, reluctantly, none of these defensive mechanisms protect them from this predator. Humans. 
 
Pangolins have become the most trafficked animal on the black market. Illegal hunting of them happens everywhere they are found. Traditional Chinese medicine uses their scales in various remedies, such as curing lactation difficulties in women and treating arthritis, but there is no evidence that these remedies actually work and there are far better and easier remedies that do not use animal parts as treatment that have proven results. Their meat is also considered a delicacy by the ultra rich in China and Vietnam. All eight species of pangolin are considered Endangered or Vulnerable by the IUCN, the International Union for Conservation of Nature which is widely considered the global authority on the status of the natural world and the measures needed to protect it. None of the pangolin’s defense mechanisms protect them from us. 
 
I hope you enjoyed learning about the five defense mechanisms that pangolins use to survive because this is my fifth favorite thing about pangolins!
 
Please visit savepangolins.org to find out even more about pangolins and discover what you can do to save this unique animal. To help the African Cape Pangolin visit the Rare and Endangered Species Trust at restnamibia.org and to learn more about Asian pangolins and help the Sunda and Chinese pangolin visit Save Vietnam’s Wildlife at svw.vn. 
 
Join me next week for another ten minute podcast focusing on another thing I like about pangolins. 
 
(Piano music plays)
This has been an episode of Ten Things I like About with Kiersten and Company. Original music written and performed by Katherine Camp, piano extraordinaire.

Ten Things I Like About Pangolins: Reproduction

Summary: Baby pangolins! Join Kiersten for a quick discussion of pangolin reproduction.
 
For my hearing impaired listeners, a transcript of this podcast follows the show notes.
 
Show Notes:
animaldiversity.org
bioweb.uwlax.edu
“Reproductive Parameters of the Sunda pangolin, Manis javanica.” Fuhua Zhang, Shibao Wu, Li Yang, Li Zhang, Ruing Sun, Shaoshan Li. Folia Zoologica, 4(2): 129-135 (2015). https://doi.org/10.25225/fozo.v64.i2.a6.2015
“Successful captive breeding of a Malayan pangolin population to the third filial generation.” Dingy Yan, Xiangfan Zeng, Miaomiao Jia, Xiaobing Guo, Siwei Deng, Li Tao, Xiaolu Huang, Baocai Li, Chang Huang, Tengcheng Que, Kaixiang Li, Wendi Liang, Yao Zhao, Xingxing Liang, Yating Zhong, Sara Platto and Siew Woh Choo. Communications Biology 4, 1212 (2021). Https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-021-02760-4
Pangolin Conservation Organizations: 
Rare and Endangered Species Trust - www.restnamibia.org
Save Vietnam’s Wildlife - www.svw.vn
 
Transcript
(Piano music plays)
Kiersten - This is Ten Things I Like About…a ten minute, ten episode podcast about unknown or misunderstood wildlife.
(Piano music stops)
 
Welcome to Ten Things I Like About… This is a podcast about misunderstood or unknown creatures in nature. Some we’ll find right out side our doors and some are continents away but all are fascinating. 
 
This podcast will focus ten, ten minute episodes on different animals and their amazing characteristics. Please join me on this extraordinary journey, you won’t regret it.
 
This episode continues pangolins and my fourth favorite thing about pangolins is baby pangolins! So, let’s talk reproduction. 
 
Much of the information that follows is based on pangolins in rehabilitation facilities that have had success in keeping pangolins alive in captivity and healthy enough to breed. Whether this information evolves as more studies are done with pangolins in the wild, we’ll have to wait and see, but for now we’ll talk about what we have learned so far.
 
From reports of behaviors observed in the wild, pangolins are solitary animals, most information indicates that they live separate lives with males and females encountering each other only during breeding season. Many solitary animals have territories that they roam and defend. This is also true of pangolins. Male territories will often overlap with females so they are near each other during breeding season. Pangolins will communicate territory boundaries with scent marking and this is also how females advertise when the are in estrus, which means they are ready to mate. This is also how they avoid each other outside of mating season. If they smell the scent of another individual they can alter their path to successfully avoid the other pangolin.
 
Mating season seems to vary greatly between species and may be dependent on the habitat in which they live and the availability of food within that habitat. The Indian pangolin, which lives in a semi-barren desert region, appears to have a breeding season between July and October. Males have been seen fighting for female attention. The winner of the fight gets the girl. The mating period seems to last 3-5 days during which the male will stay in the same burrow with the female. This deviates strongly from the solitary day to day life of the pangolin outside of breeding season and only a few reports of this behavior exists in one species of pangolin, so this may not be typical of all individuals or species.
 
The Chinese pangolin’s mating season appears to occur fromlat autumn to early spring. Not much else in known about this pangolins mating habits. 
 
African Tree pangolins that favor tropical forests throughout  Central Africa are believed to reproduce at any time of the year. Just like the Chinese pangolin, very little is known about their mating habits.
 
The African Ground pangolin’s breeding season occurs from May to July which is the dry season in the African regions they are found. Males compete with each other for the ability to mate with females. Males will mate with multiply females but we have no idea how many males a females choses to mate with. Not much is known about courtship behaviors but a few sources indicates that in the Ground pangolin males will fight each other using their claws and tails while a female watches and she will mate with the winner. 
 
In the Malayan, or Sunda pangolin, sparring between males has also been observed during the breeding season which may take place throughout the year. The long tailed pangolin, an African species found in tropical forests, may breed any time during the year.
 
We know very little about the reproductive habits of the Giant pangolin and the Philippine pangolin. Currently scientists are basing educated guesses about their behavior on similar pangolins such as the Ground pangolin and the Sunda pangolin.
 
Once breeding season has begun and the Male and Female have found each other, they will face each other, stand up on their hind feet and twine their tails together when ready to perform the physical act of mating. This behavior has only been described for one of the arboreal tree pangolins and may only reflect their behavior. Terrestrial pangolins may differ in behavior. 
 
After fertilization has occurred gestation of the fetus can range from 80-160 days depending on species. Once again these are based on reports of a few successful births in captivity and may not reflect true gestation periods. 
 
Some of you may wonder why I have cautioned twice about information gathered from captive individuals being uncharacteristic of wild populations. That is an excellent question. Through studies of wolves we have discovered that behavior in captivity is often not the same as behavior in the wild, and can even be greatly altered through the stress of captive living,. For decades we believed wolves had a strict hierarchical social structure based on dominance within their packs consisting of an alpha, beta, and an omega. Each wolf had a place somewhere within that dominance structure. We based everything we knew about wolves on this system until some scientists began filming wild packs of wolves and saw something completely different. In the wild, without the pressure and constraints of captive life, the wolves’ social structure was far more relaxed and flexible than we thought based on our studies of captive wolves so when studying captive animal behavior we must remember that it could be quite different from how the animal behaves in the wild.
 
Back to our pangolins…offspring, called pups or pangopups, are born small, approximately 6 inches long with a weight of 12 ounces, and with soft white scales. Typically females only bare one pup at time, but sightings of two pangopups have been reported by hunters. 
 
For about the first four weeks mother and baby will remain in their nest, typically a hollow in a tree or a burrow dug in the ground depending on the species of pangolin. The pup will nurse from two mammary glands that the female has. Within a few days the pup’s scales will harden and darken in color to match the adult color. After four weeks, the baby will venture out of the nest by holding onto the base of mom’s tail. This seems to be the preferred mode of transportation across all species pangolin and I encourage you to search the internet for a picture right now! Because it is one of the most adorable things you have ever seen.
 
The pangopup is capable of walking on their own by the time they venture out of the nest but this form of transportation may be a safe way for the pup to interact with the world. It’s a great way for the mother to keep tabs on her pup, as well. If the mother senses danger she will curl into a ball with her baby snuggled up inside next to her belly leaving only her tough outer scales exposed. 
 
When the pup first ventures into the world , he or she will still be drinking mother’s milk, but they will quickly begin to sample the ants and termites that mom is also eating. Pangopups seem to stay with their mother from four months to a year before venturing off on their own. Some sources say the pups remain with mom for up to two years but this in one of their behaviors that will require more research to determine. 
 
At the recording of this podcast there is only one documented successful breeding program of captive pangolins. This program only involved the Sunda pangolin. Pangolins confiscated by law enforcement from illegal poachers were housed in a facility in China, fed a specialized insect heavy diet, and were introduced to the opposite sex at the appropriate times during the year. This program was able to breed pangolins through three generations with the first generation being the confiscated individuals. This is the only time that captive born pangolins have lived long enough and been healthy enough grow to adulthood and reproduce themselves. Overall they were able to successfully breed 49 Sunda pangolins within 5 years. It’s a great step forward in pangolin conservation.
 
Pangopups are my fourth favorite thing about pangolins.
 
Please visit savepangolins.org to find out even more about pangolins and discover what you can do to save this unique animal. To help the African Cape Pangolin visit the Rare and Endangered Species Trust at restnamibia.org and to learn more about Asian pangolins and help the Sunda and Chinese pangolin visit Save Vietnam’s Wildlife at svw.vn. 
 
Join me next week for another ten minute podcast focusing on another thing I like about pangolins. 
 
(Piano music plays)
This has been an episode of Ten Things I like About with Kiersten and Company. Original music written and performed by Katherine Camp, piano extraordinaire.

Ten Things I Like About Pangolins: Species

Summary: Did you know there is more than one species of pangolin? Kiersten didn't either! Join her to find out how many species of pangolin there are and where they're found.
 
For my hearing impaired listeners, a transcript of this podcast follows the show notes.
 
Show Notes:
References for this episode - The Encyclopedia of Mammals edited by Dr. David Macdonald
www.savepangolins.org
https://www.discoverwildlife.com/animal-facts/mammals/facts-about-pangolins
treepangolinresource.weebly.com/digestion
bioweb.uwlax.edu/bio203/s2012/grosshue_crai/diet
Pangolin Conservation Organizations: 
Rare and Endangered Species Trust - www.restnamibia.org
Save Vietnam’s Wildlife - www.svw.vn
 
Transcript
(Piano music plays)
Kiersten - This is Ten Things I Like About…a ten minute, ten episode podcast about unknown or misunderstood wildlife.
(Piano music stops)
 
Welcome to Ten Things I Like About… This is a podcast about misunderstood or unknown creatures in nature. Some we’ll find right out side our doors and some are continents away but all are fascinating. 
 
My name is Kiersten and I have a Master’s Degree in Animal Behavior and did my thesis on the breeding behavior of the Tri-colored bat. I was a zookeeper for many years and have worked with all sorts of animals from Aba Aba fish to tigers to ravens to domesticated dogs and so many more in between. Many of those years were spent in education programs and the most important lesson I learned was that the more information someone has about a particular animal the less they fear them. The less they fear them the more they crave information about them and before you know it you’ve become an advocate for that misunderstood animal.
 
This podcast continues pangolins!  The third thing I like about pangolins is that there are eight different species, four African species and four Asian species. Let’s start off with the four Asian species:
 
Chinese pangolin (Manis pentadactyla) - The Chinese pangolin is native to southern Nepal, northern India, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, northern Indochina, southern China, and most of Taiwan. This species of pangolin is 18 to 24 inches long including the head and body. The tail adds an additional 10-15 inches, almost half the length of the body. They have 18 rows of tightly overlapping scales with spare hairs sticking out in-between the scales. The Chinese pangolin has a lovely mix of light and dark brown coloration giving them a bronze color. This species is mainly terrestrial and digs deep holes in search of ants and termites. Due to illegal hunting for food, use of its scales in traditional Chinese medicine, and habitat loss, the Chinese pangolin is critically endangered 
 
Sunda or Malayan pangolin (Manis javanica) - The Sunda pangolin is found in Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. It is the most widely spread species in Southeast Asia. It’s scales are predominately dark brown in color with some individuals having white scales on the tail. This pangolin is a bit larger than the Chinese pangolin ranging from 16 to 26 inches from nose to the base of the tail with the tail ranging from 14-22 inches long. It is also much more arboreal that the Chinese pangolin and therefore can often be seen in trees searching for ants to eat. The Sunda pangolin is also critically endangered due to their use in traditional Chinese medicine and habitat loss.
 
Palawan or Philippine pangolin (Manis culionensis) -  This pangolin is found specifically in the Province of Palawan including the various islands found in this region. They are mainly nocturnal and solitary. They are most often found in trees but can be seen on the ground foraging for ants and termites to eat. When sleeping they prefer hiding in hollow trees. Their scales come in brown, yellow, or olive typically giving them a tan appearance. They range in size from 1 to 3 feet in length, their tail being at least half this length. Like other asian pangolins they are covered in scales but also have course hair covering some portions of their body such as the belly. The Philippine pangolin is also critically endangered due to illegal poaching for meat, scale, and skin trade and also due to habitat loss. They are especially susceptible to population decline due to habitat loss since they are only found in a small region.
 
Indian or Thick-tailed pangolin (Manis crassicaudata) - The Thick-tailed pangolin is found in Pakistan through almost all of India and Bangladesh to northern Burma to the southern portion of the Yunnan province of China. They live as far south as Sri Lanka and as far north as the southern reaches of Nepal. This species is adapted to desert regions and can often be found in barren, hilly areas but they can be found in subtropical forests as well. They gravitate to habitat with soft, semi-sandy soil in which it is easy to dig for ants and termites and suitable fro digging burrows. They range in size from 18 to 58 inches in length with tails that are 13-18 inches long. Their scales are unique in comparison to the other asian species because they have blonde striations that are not present in other Asian pangolins. The Thick-tailed pangolin is nocturnal and mostly terrestrial, although they can be seen forging for ants in trees. They are solitary in nature. This species is classified as Endangered for the same reasons as the other Asian species of pangolin.  
 
African species:
Tree or White-bellied pangolin (Phataginus tricuspis) - The Tree pangolin is the first of four African pangolins. They are found throughout Central Africa from Senegal to Kenya in the east and northern Angola in the south. Based on the name you can guess where they are often found, in trees. They favor primary tropical forests and mosaic forests. Even though they spend most of their time in trees that can walk comfortably on the ground. Their scales are unique in the fact that they end in three cusps. Scale color can range from dark brown to russet to yellow-brown. This is a small pangolin ranging in size from 12-18 inches in body with a tail ranging from 19-24 inches. Unlike the Asian pangolins, the Tree pangolin is diurnal. They roam the trees looking for ants and termites to ingest. Due to over hunting by humans the Tree pangolin is classified as endangered. 
 
Giant ground pangolin (Smutsia gigantea) - The Giant pangolin is found in the western to central regions of Sub-Saharan Africa. They are found in forests and savannas and are completely terrestrial. They dig burrows or use abandoned burrows as shelter. They are the largest and heaviest of all the pangolins weighing 66 to 77 pounds with an overall body length of 60 inches, including the tail. Unlike other species the tail is proportionally shorter than the body. Their scales are a gray-brown and are approximately 5-6 inches. Whether they are strictly nocturnal seems to a bit of a debate. They seem to be mainly nocturnal, researchers have recorded their most active times being between 12am to 5am. The Giant pangolin is classified as Endangered. It is poached for it’s scales and meat just as other pangolins.
 
Cape or Temminck’s Ground pangolin (Smutsia temminckii) - The Cape Pangolin is the most widespread pangolin in Africa ranging from northern and southern South Africa, north to Angola and east into East Africa and southern Sudan and Chad.They are the second largest pangolin after the Giant pangolin. Cape pangolins can be around 48 inches long including the tail and weigh from 15-22 pounds. Their scales end in three cusps like the smaller white-bellied pangolin and are a grayish-brown. Cape pangolins are strictly terrestrial and are often nocturnal but in cooler climates can be found foraging during the day. Ants and termites are once again their chosen food with an emphasis on ants.  
 
Long-tailed or Black-bellied pangolin (Phataginus tetradactyla) - The Black-bellied pangolin is out last species of pangolin. It’s range is patchy, occurring in West Africa from Sierra Leone to Ghana  and then in Central Africa from Nigeria to eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. It seems to be the most habitat specific of all the African species being found in tropical riverine and swamp forests usually near water. It is also the smallest of the African pangolins in body size but has one of the longest tails. Size ranges from 33-34 inches with a tail that can measure 24 inches. The tail is longer than the body. Their coloration is extremely unique with ochre colored scales and black skin. It is the most strikingly colored pangolin species. It is almost entirely arboreal where its semi-prehensile tail helps keep it balanced. It forages in trees for arboreal ants. The black-bellied pangolin is classified as vulnerable by the IUCN.
 
These eight amazing species of pangolins are my third favorite thing about pangolins.
 
Please visit savepangolins.org to find out even more about pangolins and discover what you can do to save this unique animal. To help the African Cape Pangolin visit the Rare and Endangered Species Trust at restnamibia.org and to learn more about Asian pangolins and help the Sunda and Chinese pangolin visit Save Vietnam’s Wildlife at svw.vn. 
 
Join me next week for another ten minute podcast focusing on another thing I like about pangolins. 
 
(Piano Music Plays)
This has been an episode of Ten Things I like About with Kiersten and Company. Original music written and performed by Katherine Camp, piano extraordinaire.
 

Ten Things I Like About Pangolins: Digestive Tract

Summary: The amazing digestive tract of the pangolin includes a 27 inch long tongue and a stomach with teeth! Join Kiersten as she travels through the incredible digestive tract of the pangolin.
 
For my hearing impaired listeners, a transcript of this podcast follows the show notes.
 
Show Notes:
References for this episode - The Encyclopedia of Mammals edited by Dr. David Macdonald
www.savepangolins.org
https://www.discoverwildlife.com/animal-facts/mammals/facts-about-pangolins
treepangolinresource.weebly.com/digestion
bioweb.uwlax.edu/bio203/s2012/grosshue_crai/diet
“Expression Profile of the Digestive Enzymes Manis javanica Reveals Its Adaptation to Diet Specialization” by Fuhua Zhang, Na Xu, Yishuang Yu, Shibao Wu, Shaoshan Li, and Wenhua Wang; doi:10.1021/acsomega.9b02845
Pangolin Conservation Organizations: 
Rare and Endangered Species Trust - www.restnamibia.org
Save Vietnam’s Wildlife - www.svw.vn
 
Transcript
(Piano music plays)
Kiersten - This is Ten Things I Like About…a ten minute, ten episode podcast about unknown or misunderstood wildlife.
(Piano music stops)
 
Welcome to Ten Things I Like About… This is a podcast about misunderstood or unknown creatures in nature. Some we’ll find right out side our doors and some are continents away but all are fascinating. 
 
My name is Kiersten and I have a Master’s Degree in Animal Behavior and did my thesis on the breeding behavior of the Tri-colored bat. I was a zookeeper for many years and have worked with all sorts of animals from Aba Aba fish to tigers to ravens to domesticated dogs and so many more in between. Many of those years were spent in education programs and the most important lesson I learned was that the more information someone has about a particular animal the less they fear them. The less they fear them the more they crave information about them and before you know it you’ve become an advocate for that misunderstood animal.
 
This episode continues pangolins. The second thing I like about pangolins is their digestive tract! I know that seems like a strange thing to like about an animal but it’s a truly amazing digestive tract. 
 
Let’s start with what they eat because that has a huge influence on how your digestive tract works. All species of pangolin eat ants and termites, but mostly. The fancy name for this is myrmecophagy. On average a pangolin can eat 140 to 200 grams of insects a day. That’s almost 1/2 a pound of insects a day. Adult pangolins can eat 70 million ants a year.
 
The digestive tract starts in the mouth, so let’s start our journey there. First they use their large, curved claws to tear open an anthill or termite mound to expose their prey. Pangolins have long tongues with a sticky, viscous saliva that helps them lick up ants and termites. Then they flick their tongue in and out of the tunnels capturing a yummy meal. Most mammals have a salivary gland that helps produce saliva, aka spit, that begins the digestive process in the mouth. Pangolins have a huge salivary gland located in their chest that creates the thick saliva and lubricates the tongue. Now, get ready for one of the reasons that the pangolin’s digestive tract is #2 on my Ten Thing I Like About list. Depending on the species a pangolin’s tongue can be 10-27 inches long! The tongue is so long in the African Giant Pangolin the the tongue actually attaches to the animal’s pelvis and they can stick half of it out of their mouth! That’s 14-16 inches of tongue!
 
Once in the mouth, digestion often begins with chewing. That’s why Mom always says chew your food! But pangolins do not have any teeth, so the ants and termites slide right down the esophagus into the stomach. 
 
Most of us have probably encountered ants at some point in our lives and some of you may know that the they are covered in an exoskeleton made of chitin. This is pretty tough stuff so you may be thinking how does the pangolin digest those little buggers if they don’t grind them with teeth. Get ready for the second reason the pangolin’s digestive tract is #2 on my Ten Thing I Like About list. They have keratinous protrusions sticking out from the lining of the stomach that help them grind up the ants they are also referred to as pyloric teeth. 
 
What? I’m imagining the Sarlacc pit monster from Star Wars in the pangolins stomach! How cool is that. It’s really more like a bird’s gizzard, which is a pouch off the side of some species of birds’ digestive tract that is muscular and helps them break down tough seeds, shells, and insects. 
 
There does appear to be a difference in Asian versus African pangolin species stomachs. Asian species have there horny protrusions and African species do not. We ‘re not sure why there is a difference, but one thing they both have in common is that they all swallow small rocks and sand that settles in the stomach and helps grind up the ants and termites.
 
Okay, why ants? There are so many other insects out there that have got to be easier to eat right? We don’t really know why pangolins ended up specializing in eating ants but it most likely developed as a way to avoid competition from other carnivores. If the pangolin is the only one eating ants they have to fight anyone to get food. Also ants are a protein rich food. They contain 50% crude protein and over 20 amino acids. That is a great source of protein for a carnivore! But you have to be able to utilize that protein. So the next question is how do pangolins do that?
 
Stomachs produce digestive enzymes. These enzymes help break down the food we eat. The diet an animal eats influences the enzymes that are found in the stomach. Recent studies have determined that the pangolin digestive tract is so specialized to eating ants and termites that they cannot successfully eat anything else and survive long term. Pangolins eat a lot of insects and those insects’ exoskeletons are made of chitin. Chitin is where the protein and amino acids are found but it had so be broken down to be properly absorbed by the body. An enzyme called chitinase does just that. 
 
Some scientists in China have delved into the make up of the Sunda pangolin’s digestive enzymes and they have found something interesting.  In both the saliva and stomach fluid chitiase was present. They also found a lack of enzymes typically found in other carnivores that help breakdown other sources of proteins. This is one of the main reasons they are not seen in captive environments such as zoos and one of the biggest hurdles rehabbers must overcome to save injured pangolins. They simply do not have the correct enzymes to break down the food and absorb the nutrients from items that are readily available to these facilities. 
 
All of these amazing facts about the pangolin digestive tract is why it is #2 on my list of Ten Things I Like about pangolins.
 
Please visit savepangolins.org to find out even more about pangolins and discover what you can do to save this unique animal. To help the African Cape Pangolin visit the Rare and Endangered Species Trust at restnamibia.org and to learn more about Asian pangolins and help the Sunda and Chinese pangolin visit Save Vietnam’s Wildlife at svw.vn. 
 
Join me next week for another ten minute podcast focusing on another thing I like about pangolins.
 
(Piano music plays)
This has been an episode of Ten Things I like About with Kiersten and Company. Original music written and performed by Katherine Camp, piano extraordinaire.
 
  

Ten Things I Like About Pangolins: Scales

Summary: What is a pangolin? It's an amazing creature that looks like a living breathing artichoke! Join Kiersten as she begins this series of podcast talking about this mammal's scales. That right, this is a mammal with scales!
 
For my hearing impaired listeners, a transcript of this podcast follows the show notes.
 
Show Notes: 
References for this episode - The Encyclopedia of Mammals edited by Dr. David Macdonald
www.savepangolins.org
https://www.discoverwildlife.com/animal-facts/mammals/facts-about-pangolins
Pangolin Conservation Organizations: 
Rare and Endangered Species Trust - www.restnamibia.org
Save Vietnam’s Wildlife - www.svw.vn
 
Transcript
(Piano music plays)
Kiersten - This is Ten Things I Like About…a ten minute, ten episode podcast about unknown or misunderstood wildlife.
(Piano music stops)
 
Welcome to the pilot episode of Ten Things I Like About… This is a podcast about misunderstood or unknown creatures in nature. Some we’ll find right out side our doors and some are continents away but all are fascinating. 
 
Just a bit about my background: My name is Kiersten and I have a Master’s Degree in Animal Behavior and did my thesis on the breeding behavior of the Tri-colored bat. I was a zookeeper for many years and have worked with all sorts of animals from Aba Aba fish to tigers to ravens to domesticated dogs and so many more in between. Many of those years were spent in education programs and the most important lesson I learned was that the more information someone has about a particular animal the less they fear them. The less they fear them the more they crave information about them and before you know it you’ve become an advocate for that misunderstood animal.
 
This podcast will focus ten, ten minute episodes on different animals and their amazing characteristics. Please join me on this fascinating journey, you won’t regret it.
 
Now that the housekeeping is out of the way, let’s get started with our first animal, the pangolin. A pangolin is a mammal that is found in both Asia and Africa, there are eight species of pangolin. Their diet consists mainly of ants and termites. In general they have an elongated head and tapered muzzle, and a long slender body with a tail that is often the longest portion of their body. The most unique thing about pangolins is that they are covered in scales. Yes that’s right, this is a mammal covered in scales. They look like living breathing artichokes! It’s the only mammal on the plant that is covered in scales. 
 
For those of you who remember grade school one of the key characteristics of mammals is that they are covered in fur, or at least have some hair on their body. So how is this a mammal if it’s covered in scales? The scales are made of keratin which is the fibrous protein that is the main structure of hair. These scales are similar to our finger nails but much, much thicker. The scales of a pangolin make up almost 20% of their body weight! Can you imagine having so much hair on your body that it equals 20 %of your body weight? Talk about a Rapunzel moment.
 
As an aside, pangolins also follow the other three tenants of mammals which are: giving live birth ( and pangolin babies are some of the cutest babies on the planet), nursing their young with milk they produce themselves, and being endothermic (which means they are warm-blooded).
 
Their scales grow directly out of the skin and are anchored at the base of the scale. They grow from the base and wear away at the ends. Just like our finger nails! As pangolins dig through dirt or climb through trees the scales are filed down or chipped. The scales grow continuously through the pangolins life and can be shed and replaced as the pangolin ages. 
 
Pangolins are covered from nose to tail by these scales with the exception of their underbelly and the inner surfaces of their legs and that is covered with, you guessed it, hair. A great way to tell the difference between Asian and African pangolins is to look for the sparse bristle hairs that stick out in between the Asian pangolins scales. African species don't have the hair between the scales.
 
Pangolin scales can come in many different colors depending on the species. They can vary in color from a tannish light brown to dark brown to olive to black.
 
Because of these scales pangolins are also referred to as scaly anteaters, even though they are not related to anteaters. You may be asking yourself, what is the purpose of these scales. Plenty of mammals run around only covered in fur, why do pangolins have scales?
 
Excellent and observant question.
 
The scales on pangolins are overlapping. They grow directly out of the skin and act as armor protecting them from ants. When a pangolin finds an ant nest it tears it open to get to the ants inside. As anyone who has accidentally, or purposely, disturbed an ant nest knows, the ants don’t calmly come out to investigate what is happening to their nest. Oh no, they swarm the intruder with the intent of biting them to the brink of death. When your diet consists mainly of something that bites back you need a way to protect yourself while you eat. Enter overlapping scales made of tough keratin. The ants cannot bite through the thick, keratin scales and the overlapping structure prevents the ants from getting down to the vulnerable skin. 
 
The size of the scales varies depending on the species from just under 2 centimeters on the White bellied Tree Pangolin to almost 12 centimeters on the Giant Ground Pangolin. The shape will also very depending on the species and where the scale is found on the body. Most look like a small clam shell while some look like a human fingernail.
 
This is nature at its best but it’s not the only reason for the scale armor. Pangolins in both Asia and Africa have to worry about predators that do not want to pass up what they think might be an easy meal.  But a pangolin is far from an easy meal. They can curl into a ball so tight that not one millimeter of their soft underbelly is exposed. 
 
These scales are extremely thick and slick, it’s almost impossible for a predator to bite through them. Only lions, hyenas, and leopards have a chance of getting through the pangolin’s defenses and it’s often too much work for them as well. Filmmakers ands scientists have seen a pride of lions give up on opening a pangolin because of the difficulty getting them open once they’ve rolled up. A few minutes after the pride left, the pangolin got up and trotted away unharmed.
 
This armor is so effective at warding off attacks that scientists at the University of California, San Diego are studying why it is so effective in an effort to improve human body armor. The scientists have discovered that the key seems to be in the overlapping structure of the scales and are focusing on the three shapes of scales found on the pangolin. The broad rhombic shape found near the shoulders, the peltate shape found along the torso, and the folding shape found along the tail are the three main shapes they are studying. The orientation of the scales is also important. Pangolin scales point backwards from the nose to tail with the sharp edge exposed. Their next steps in studying pangolin scales is to measure compression, bending, nanoscratch and nano indentation. I can’t wait to see what they find!
 
The sharp edges of the scales can also make a good weapon and when a pangolin is threatened they can wave their tail back and forth using the sharp scales as a pre roll-up defense strategy. Many of the scales on pangolins are sharp enough to cut through skin.
 
These hard, overlapping scales that make pangolins look like pinecones are one of their most amazing attributes but it is also a significant reason for their decline in population. Pangolins have become the most trafficked animals on the black market and it’s mainly due to their scales. Many Asian cultures use their scales in eastern medicine believing they can magically cure illnesses, even though they are made of keratin which has no medicinal value. The main countries demanding illegal pangolin scales are China and Vietnam.
 
In 2017 the government of Cameroon burned 80,000kgs of confiscated pangolin scales. That’s approximately 15,000 dead pangolins. Between the years of 2014 and 2018, 185 tons of scales were confiscated by authorities, an equivalent of 370,000 dead pangolins. All eight species of pangolin are listed as critically endangered, endangered, or vulnerable by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, more commonly known as the IUCN.
 
Please visit save pangolins.org to find out what you can to to save this unique animal.
Join me next week for another ten minute podcast focusing on another thing I like about pangolins.
 
(Piano music plays)
This has been an episode of Ten Things I like About with Kiersten and Company. Original music written and performed by Katherine Camp, piano extraordinaire.