PANGOLIN EDUCATION
KIT
Pangolin Education Kit Compiled by: Rajesh Kumar Mohapatra and Milan Kumar Panda With inputs from: H. S. Upadhyaya, Jayant Kumar Das Front cover photograph: Rajesh Kumar Mohapatra Back cover artwork: Rajkumar Behera ARTWORK CONTRIBUTORS: Nandankanan Biological Park, India: Rajesh Kumar Mohapatra and Rajkumar Behera Artists & Biologists Unite for Nature (ABUN) in association with African Pangolin Working Group (APWG) and One More Generation (OMG): Artists- Christoph Hrdina, Dema Clark, Lois Davis, Maureen Rousseau, Kitty Harvill, Di Roberts, Shary Page Weckwerth, Judith MacKay, Anne Lyon, Marion Schรถn, Andrea Siemt, Diana Andersen, Geraldo Franรงa Junior, Gloria Ester, Pilan Sue Butts, Rachel Schell, Charith Pelpola, Carolina Bertsch, Alexis Kriel, Grace Innemee, Lin Barrie, Xerdeson Oliveira do Nascimento, Louise Fletcher, Lynne Waters, Sue DuVall, Ellyn Lentz, Henry Males Castellanos, Natalya Pavlushina, Becky Richardson Senisse, Jerri- Ann Mock, Petey Hernรกndez and Rajesh Kumar Mohapatra with reference photographs from Darren Pietersen, Wendy Panaino, Louise Fletcher, Alexis Kriel, Rajesh Kumar Mohapatra, Elyane Van Coillie, Cedric Jacquet and Nick Gordon. Individual Contributors: Brij Kishor Gupta, CZA, New Delhi; Susmita Sharma, Utkal University, Bhubaneswar; T. Naveen Kumar, Hyderabad; Anitka Roy, New Delhi; Pranjoli Mukharjee, New Delhi; Mahalakshmi, S., Mysore; Marcus Eames, Woburn, UK. Published by: Nandankanan Biological Park, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India Year: 2019
CONTENTS Page No. •
Some amazing facts about pangolins
1
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Threats
17
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Legal protection
20
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Learn with fun
21
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Test your pangolin knowledge
30
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How Nandankanan is helping?
34
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We can help
35
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World Pangolin Day
36
Rajesh Kumar Mohapatra
Natalya Pavlushina
Louise Fletcher
SOME AMAZING FACTS ABOUT PANGOLINS? Pangolins are unique toothless mammals with hard keratinous scales on their body. They are myrmecophagus (feeding on ants and termites) and mostly nocturnal.
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Ankita Roy
Marion Schรถn
The name “pangolin” is derived from the Malay word “pengguling”, which loosely translates to “something that rolls up”. They belong to the family Manidae of order Pholidota. Xerdeson Oliveira do Nascimento
Louise Fletcher
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Rachel Schell
Marion Schön
Maureen Rousseau
Pangolins’ scales are made of Keratin, the same protein that makes up our own hair and nails, rhino horns, the “teeth” of baleen whales, the claws of bears (and other clawed animals) . Their scales cover the entire body from head to tip of tail except ventral region, which are covered with a few sparse hairs. Baby pangolins have soft scales which harden gradually. Dema Clark
3 1
Shary Page Weckwerth
There are eight species of pangolin on our planet. Four live in Asia: • • • •
Indian Pangolin (also called Thick-tailed Pangolin), Manis crassicaudata , IUCN status- ‘Endangered’ Phillipine Pangolin (also called Palawan Pangolin, Manis culionensis, IUCN status- ‘Endangered’ Sunda Pangolin (also called Malayan Pangolin), Manis javanica, IUCN status- ‘Critically Endangered’ Chinese Pangolin, Manis pentadactyla, IUCN status- ‘Critically Endangered’
Di Roberts
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Four others live in Africa: • Tree Pangolin (also called African White-Bellied Pangolin ), Phataginus tricuspis, IUCN status‘Vulnerable’ • Giant Ground Pangolin, Smutsia gigantea, IUCN status- ‘Vulnerable’ • Cape Pangolin (also called Temminck’s Pangolin), Smutsia temminckii , IUCN status- ‘Vulnerable’ • Long-Tailed Pangolin (also called African Black-Bellied Pangolin), Phataginus tetradactyla IUCN status‘ Vulnerable’
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Lynne Waters
Giant ground pangolins are the largest of all eight species (about 1.8m in length and 30 kg in weight). Long-tailed pangolins are the smallest ( about 80cm in length and 2-3 kg in weight). Andrea Siemt
Anne Lyon
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Pangolins are nature’s sustainable pest control agents. It’s believed that a single pangolin consumes more than 70 million insects in a year. Pest Control
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Ankita Roy
Rajkumar Behera
Pangolins are mostly nocturnal, i.e., active during the night time. During day time, they rest inside their burrows.
Ellyn Lentz
Kitty Harvill
Andrea Siemt
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Pangolin borrows are like natural air conditioners, less affected by outside environmental parameters and maintain apparently constant temperature & humidity. Abandoned burrows shelters many other ground dwelling animals. Sue DuVall
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Louise Fletcher
Some pangolin species find shelter in trees, while others live in underground burrows.
10 Rajesh Kumar Mohapatra Petey Hernรกndez
Brij Kishor Gupta
The pangolin tongue is stored in their chest cavity when not in use. Their large salivary glands produce large amount of sticky saliva which is used to catch the insects they feed on.
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Pranjoli Mukherjee
Rajesh Kumar Mohapatra
As these creatures lack teeth, stomach contents are ground with small pebbles to aid in digestion — like a bird’s gizzard. Their lower stomach (the pyloric region) are also lined with strange spine-like protrusions that point inward toward the center of the organ.
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Judith MacKay
Lois Davis
Pangolins have poor vision and hearing, but their sense of smell is acute.
Marion Schรถn
Charith Pelpola
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Carolina Bertsch
They have prehensile tails that help in climbing in trees and hanging from branches.
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Rajesh Kumar Mohapatra
Geraldo Franรงa Junior
Pangolins do not have any fixed breeding season. Usually one and occasionally two babies are born in a litter. Baby pangolins travel around with their mothers by riding on the base of her tail.
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Ankita Roy
Predator of Pangolins
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Though there are records of natural predation of pangolins by lion, tiger, crocodile and python; pangolins are mostly hunted by humans for consumption of their meat and use of their body part in traditional medicines.
Rajkumar Behera
Threats: Habitat loss and poaching for their meat and scales to use as traditional medicine are major threats to pangolins. More than a million pangolins have been wiped out in illegal trade in past decade. This makes them the world's most trafficked mammals. Susmita Sharma
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Ankita Roy
Christoph Hrdina
Pangolins are the only group of mammals covered with scales. Scales of the pangolin weighs about 30% of total body weight. Scales protect the pangolins from predators but they got hunted by the poachers for the same.
Becky Richardson Senisse
Jerri-Ann Mock
Natalya Pavlushina
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Pangolins scales are comprised of “Keratin� just like our finger nails and have no proven medicinal values. Still many continue to consume pangolin scales as a traditional remedy for a wide variety of health problems. 19
Rajkumar Behera
Rajesh Kumar Mohapatra
Legal Protection • All the eight species of pangolins are protected under National and International Laws. • All pangolin species are listed in CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) Appendix I, which essentially bans international trade in pangolins and their parts or derivatives. • In India, pangolins (Manis crassicaudata and Manis pentadactyla) are listed as Schedule-I species under Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. Any violation against these species is punishable under Section 51 of the said Act with imprisonment of seven years and fine not less than Twenty Five Thousand Rupees.
Visalia Raj
Alexis Kriel
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Learn with fun! How to draw a pangolin in seven easy steps ?
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Rajkumar Behera
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3
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7 Rajkumar Behera
Can you complete it ?
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Henry Males Castellanos
Can you complete it ?
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Henry Males Castellanos
A
C
B
Can you identify the ant eating mammals of the world? 2 15
D
E
A. PANGOLIN B. GIANT ANT EATER C. ARMADILLO D. ECHIDNA E. AARDVARK Rajkumar Behera
Gloria Ester
Rajesh Kumar Mohapatra
Create your own PANGOLIN ARTWORK and share with the world.
Diana Andersen
Pilan Sue Butts
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Add Colour
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Rajesh Kumar Mohapatra
Add Colour
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Rajkumar Behera
Please help me find the way I am so hungry !
2 19
Help me find my missing baby !
TEST YOUR PANGOLIN KNOWLEDGE! 1. How many species of pangolin are found in the c. Feeds on Termites d. None of the above world? 8. Pangolins are _________? a. 10 b. 7 c. 8 d. 10 a. Birds b. Mammals 2. How many species of pangolin are found in Asia? c. Reptiles d. Amphibians a. 2 b.3 c. 4 d. 5 9. How do pangolins find ant hills? 3. How many species of pangolin are found in India? a. by vision b. by smell a. 2 b.3 c. 4 d. 5 c. by hearing d. by touching 4. What do pangolins eat? 10. Pangolins are poached for its______. a. flies and ants b. termites and ants a. Meat only b. Meat and scales c. flies and termites d. none of the above c. Scales only d. None of the above 5. Which is not the African species of pangolin? 11. The distinguishing feature of Indian and Chinese a. Giant ground pangolin pangolin is______________. b. Sunda pangolin a. Rows of scales b. Body size c. Black bellied pangolin c. Color of the scale d. All of the above d. Temminck's ground pangolin 12. Indian pangolin found in _____. 6. Which is not the Asian species of pangolin? a. Odisha b. Madhya Pradesh a. Chinese pangolin b.Sunda pangolin c. Kerala d. All of the above c. Indian pangolin d. Giant ground pangolin 13. The male pangolin is generally_______________ 7. What does Myrmecophagus means? a. larger than female b. smaller than female a. Feed on Insects b. Feeds on ants and c. equal to female d. None of the above termites
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14. The tough scally body surface of pangolin protect it from______________. a. predators b. parasites c. cold weather d. All of the above 15. Pangolin does not have____________. a. ears b. hair c. teeth d. tongue 16. Pangolin uses its_________________to capture food. a. hands b. tongue c. claws d. foot 17. Pangolin posses________________to human. a. high threat b. no threat c. low threat d. None of the above 18. The conservation status of Indian pangolin is________________. a. Endangered b. Critically endangered c. Vulnerable d. Near Threatened 19. The conservation status of Chinese pangolin is_______________. a. Endangered b. Critically endangered c. Vulnerable d. Near Threatened
20. They have anal gland which___________. a. emits a foul smell b. emits a pleasant smell c. locates prey d. help escaping from enemies 21. Which pangolin species found in the Odisha state? a. Indian pangolin b. Eastern pangolin c. Sunda pangolin d. Chinese pangolin 22. How do pangolins eat the ants and termites? a. with claw b.with teeth c.with tongue d. with hand 23. Which zoo has pangolin in its logo? a. Singapore zoo, Singapore b. Nandankanan Zoological Park, India c. National Zoological Park, London d. Zoo Victoria, Australia 24. Which international specialist group works on pangolin? a. IUCN SSC Pangolin Specialist Group b. Pangolin Conservation Group c. UNDP Pangolin Specialist Group d. FAO group for Pangolin Protection
25. In India, Chinese pangolins are distributed in______________. a. North east India b. Jammu and Kashmir c. Western Ghat d. None of the above 26. Where do pangolins live? a. in hollow trees b. in burrows c. in both d. none of the above 27. What does the Malayan word “Pengguling� means? a. Scaly Anteater b. Roll into a ball c. Armor d. Walking Pinecone 28. Pangolins are distributed in America. (True/False) 29. There are 7 different types of pangolins. (True/False) 30. Do people still trade pangolins illegally? (Yes/No) 31. Pangolin habitats are in Asia and Europe. (True/False) 32. Do all pangolin species have scales? (Yes/No)
33. Pangolins curl up in a ball to protect themselves. (True/False) 34. Baby pangolin does not have scales? (True/False) 35. The material of the pangolin's scales is similar to that of human hair and nails. (True/False) 36. Pangolins have no teeth. (True/False) 37. The scales of pangolins are made of bone. (True/False)
Mahalakshmi, S
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ANSWERS 1. (c) 8 2. (c) 4 3. (a) 2 4. (b) termites and ants 5. (b) Sunda pangolin 6. (d) Giant ground pangolin 7. (b) feeds on ants and termites 8. (b) Mammals 9. (b) by smell 10. (b) meat and scales 11. (d) all of the above 12. (d) all of the above 13. (a) larger than female 14. (d) all of the above 15. (c) teeth 16. (d) tongue 17. (b) no threat 18. (a) Endangered 19. (b) Critically endangered 20. (a) emits foul smell 21. (a) Indian pangolin
22. (c) with tongue 23. (a) Singapore zoo, Singapore 24. (a) IUCN SSC Pangolin Specialist Group 25. (a) North East India 26. (c) in both 27. (b) Roll into a ball 28. False 29. False 30. Yes 31. False 32. Yes 33. True 34. False 35. True 36. True 37. False
Marcus Eames
How Nandankanan is helping ? • “Pangolin Conservation Breeding Centre” is established in 2009 at Nandankanan Biological Park for scientific management and research on conservation breeding of Indian pangolins. The centre is the only Conservation Breeding Centre for the endangered Indian pangolin in the world. • The centre has developed protocols for housing, husbandry and conservation breeding of the endangered Indian pangolins. • Scientific studies at the centre is helping to understand their biology which is difficult to study in the wild as these elusive animals have nocturnal and burrowing habits.
Natalya Pavlushina
Rajkumar Behera
Rajesh Kumar Mohapatra
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WE CAN HELP • Let us not purchase any article made out of pangolins. • Please report illegal trade to local Forest officers. • Save forests and the natural habitats of pangolins. • Let us share information on pangolins to family members and friends to sensitize them on plight of pangolins. 3 15
Louise Fletcher
Lin Barrie
World Pangolin Day • Pangolin numbers are dwindling in Asia and Africa. World Pangolin Day is an occasion for pangolin enthusiasts to join together in raising awareness about these unique mammals — and their plight. • Every year “World Pangolin Day” is celebrated on 3rd Saturday in the month of February.
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T. Naveen Kumar
Susmita Sharma
Nandankanan Biological Park, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India www.nandankanan.org