What to do when I encounter a pangolin? Do not be alarmed. These animals are shy and will not attack humans.
What is a pangolin used for?
Pangolins are hunted for meat, for use in traditional medicine and as fashion accessories, particularly in China and Vietnam. The large-scale illegal trade in Asian pangolins is drastically driving down their numbers, and pangolin trafficking is now huge (and illegal) business.
Is a pangolin the same as an anteater?
Pangolins are often called scaly anteaters, which is a very good description for them, even though they are not closely related to anteaters. Like anteaters, pangolins have long snouts and even longer tongues that they use to slurp up ants and termites. Their bodies are covered in scales that form a kind of armor.
Why are pangolins endangered?
Why are pangolins endangered? Pangolins are hunted for meat, for use in traditional medicine and as fashion accessories, particularly in China and Vietnam. The large-scale illegal trade in Asian pangolins is drastically driving down their numbers, and pangolin trafficking is now huge (and illegal) business.
What will happen if pangolins go extinct?
If pangolins go extinct, there would be a cascading impact on the environment. “Pangolins save us millions of dollars a year in pest destruction. These shy creatures provide a vital service and we cannot afford to overlook their ecological role as natural controllers of termites and ants.”
Are pangolins endangered 2021?
All pangolin species are critically endangered — mainly due to poaching and deforestation, which threatens their habitats. The World Wildlife Fund has called them "one of the most trafficked animals." Pangolin scales are prized for traditional medicine in countries like China and Vietnam.
Is the pangolin endangered or threatened?
Not extinct
What countries do pangolins live in?
Also known as scaly anteaters because of their appearance, long tongues and favourite snacks, pangolins are mammals that inhabit tropical forests, dry woodlands and the savannah. There are eight species still in existence found in India, China, south-east Asia and parts of Africa.Mar 4, 2015
Where do anteaters live in the world?
Giant anteaters are found throughout Central and South America except for Guatemala, Uruguay and El Salvador, where they are considered to be extinct. They live in wetlands, grasslands and tropical forests.
Are there pangolins in America?
Four of the species can be found in 17 range states across Asia, and four in 31 range states across Africa.
Do pangolins live in South America?
Paleo-archaeological evidence suggests pangolins may have evolved in Europe but the extant species are found only in Asia and Africa. They fulfil a similar ecological niche to anteaters in South America, but are unrelated, each having evolved to fill similar ecological roles through convergent evolution.
Is pangolin meat edible?
Pangolin meat is prized as a delicacy in parts of China and Vietnam. In China, the meat is believed to have nutritional value to aid kidney function. In Vietnam, restaurants charge as much as $150 per pound of pangolin meat.
Why do Chinese kill pangolins?
Tens of thousands of pangolins are poached every year, killed for their scales for use in traditional Chinese medicine and for their meat, a delicacy among some ultra-wealthy in China and Vietnam. There are eight species of pangolins. All species face declining populations because of illegal trade.