The Chinese pangolin (Manis pentadactyla) is one of the eight species of pangolins found across Asia and Africa. These solitary mammals are unique because they are the only known mammals covered in overlapping scales. The approximately 18 rows of keratinous scales function as a suit of armor, protecting the animal from predators. The Chinese pangolin is now assessed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, having faced a population decline across its range over the last few decades. This decline is tied directly to human demand and the loss of the habitats they require for survival.
Physical Traits and Unique Behavior
The Chinese pangolin is a medium-sized species. Its most defining feature is the armor of grayish-blue or yellowish-brown scales made of keratin, the same protein found in human fingernails. The animal’s belly, inner legs, and snout remain unscaled, but the rest of the body is protected by these tough, overlapping plates.
This species has specialized physical adaptations for its insectivorous diet, which consists almost entirely of ants and termites (myrmecophagy). The pangolin uses its powerful foreclaws to tear into nests, then deploys a long, sticky tongue that can extend up to 40 centimeters to capture prey. Since pangolins lack teeth, their meal is ground down in a specialized, muscular two-chambered stomach with the assistance of small stones and sand they ingest.
Chinese pangolins are primarily nocturnal and solitary, spending their days resting in burrows they excavate using their strong claws. When threatened, their primary defense is to immediately roll into a tight, nearly impenetrable ball, shielding the vulnerable unscaled underside. This ability to curl up is an effective deterrent against most natural threats.
Geographic Range and Habitat Requirements
The geographic range of the Chinese pangolin extends across a wide area of Asia, though populations are highly fragmented. Confirmed populations are found in southern China, including Hainan Island and Taiwan. Its range also stretches westward into the northern Indian subcontinent, encompassing Nepal, Bhutan, and parts of northern India, as well as northern Southeast Asia. This species has been recorded at elevations up to 3,000 meters.
Pangolins are adaptable but require specific environmental conditions to support their burrowing and feeding habits. They inhabit a variety of environments, including tropical forests, broadleaf and coniferous forests, limestone forests, grasslands, and agricultural fields. They are terrestrial burrowers, utilizing their strong claws to dig dens for shelter and to maintain stable temperatures. Suitable soil for burrowing and an abundance of ant and termite nests are requirements for a viable habitat.
Crisis Point: Drivers of Decline
The primary driver of the Chinese pangolin’s population collapse is the illegal wildlife trade, leading to its status as the world’s most trafficked mammal. Pangolins are heavily targeted for two reasons: their meat, considered a luxury delicacy, and their scales, used extensively in traditional medicine. The demand for these products, particularly in Southeast Asia, has decimated wild populations.
Poaching pressure has been intense, forcing traffickers to increasingly target other Asian and African pangolin species. In traditional medicine, pangolin scales are ground into powder and believed, despite a lack of scientific evidence, to treat a range of ailments. This persistent demand maintains a highly lucrative international black market that outweighs local conservation efforts.
The secondary driver of decline is habitat fragmentation and loss due to rapid human development. Natural forest areas are converted into agricultural land, such as rubber plantations, or developed for infrastructure, which removes the necessary food source of ants and termites. This conversion also destroys the specific soil and vegetation structure the pangolins need for digging their burrows. Fragmented habitat isolates pangolin populations, making it difficult for them to find mates and increasing the risks of inbreeding and local extinction.
Conservation Measures and Challenges
International and national legal protections have been implemented to combat the illegal trade, most notably the listing of the Chinese pangolin on CITES Appendix I in 2016. This listing prohibits all international commercial trade of the species and its parts. China further strengthened its national protections in 2020 by elevating the pangolin to the highest level of protection, which included removing pangolin scales from the official pharmacopeia of traditional medicine ingredients.
Despite these legal measures, enforcement remains a significant challenge, with large-scale seizures of scales continuing to occur across Asia. A major hurdle lies in ex-situ conservation efforts like captive breeding, which are difficult due to their highly specialized diet and sensitive nature. Successful breeding events have been rare, and many captive individuals die within a year. Conservation efforts therefore focus on anti-poaching patrols, disrupting trafficking networks, and supporting rescue and rehabilitation centers that attempt to return confiscated animals to protected wild areas.