Happy Pangolin Day

Is it an Anteater? Is it a Hero in a Half Shell? No, it’s a Pangolin!

Pangolins are funny looking creatures. That’s not why they’re so rare and difficult to find in the wild though. They’re not hiding because they’re embarrassed by their strange scaly exterior and weird long tongues that resemble a stretched pink Fizzer. Firstly, it’s because they’re nocturnal and stay in the comfort of their burrows during the day. Secondly, they’re also under threat and are becoming one more addition to an ever-growing list of endangered animals in the world.

The pangolin has been hunted for various reasons, not just for the meat. In Africa, it is thought to be a purveyor of magic and charms and used as traditional medicine. Mixed with the bark from certain trees, the scales are thought to counteract witchcraft and evil spirits. If a woman buries the animal near a man’s door, she will gain power over him. Burn the scales and you’ll have no problem with lions and other wild animals encroaching. In some areas the animals are sacrificed for rainmaking ceremonies.

They are also in great demand in China. Their meat is considered a delicacy and some Chinese believe the scales reduce swelling, promote blood circulation and help breast-feeding women produce milk. Add deforestation and illegal trafficking to the mix and you can see why numbers have dropped so much over the years. In November 2010, pangolins were added to the Zoological Society of London’s list of genetically distinct and endangered mammals.

Hence – Pangolin Day! A day to celebrate these interesting animals and to consider how to help save them.

About the Pangolin

There are three types of pangolin in Africa – the giant pangolin, the tree pangolin and the most widespread, the ground pangolin. Their hearing and sense of smell is well-developed, but their sight is poor. The solitary pangolin can roll into a ball to defend itself – a clever little trick! It is extremely difficult to try and unroll them. Their armor-plated scales, powered by powerful muscles, protect them too, by inflicting serious wounds on anything inserted between them. Slice! There goes your finger. Pangolins also have anal scent glands that emit strong, foul smelling secretions. With offspring, when the mother senses danger the baby slips under her and is protected when she rolls up her body.

Pangolins sniff out termite and ant nests and dig the insects from mounds with their claws. They use their extremely long tongues (up to 16 inches in larger pangolins) to eat their food, with the help of large salivary glands that coat the tongue with a mucus that the ants and termites stick to. As pangolins have no teeth, its stomach is specially adapted for grinding food. The process is helped along by the small stones and sand pangolins consume. Fascinating, right?

See Pangolin at Tswalu

According to folks at the Tswalu Kalahari Game Reserve, last year they had many sightings of the rarely seen animal. Head Field Guide Marco Tonoli says, “The Kalahari winter has an interesting impact on the general behaviour of nocturnal animals, which is why the pangolin, a mostly nocturnal forager, was seen crossing the road while we were out on safari in the middle of the day.”

General Manager Gus van Dyk says: “I can say with confidence that Tswalu is probably the best place on earth to view pangolin. This unusual animal is rarely seen elsewhere but the open grasslands on Tswalu make it easier to find, particularly during winter when they emerge in daylight to search for ants and termites.”

Book a stay at this luxury Kalahari game reserve with its beautiful lodges with Rhino Africa and go looking for a pangolin yourself. To book and for more information contact us and visit the Tswalu Facts & Info section on our website here.

• Pangolins have also recently been spotted in Madikwe Game Reserve and in the Kruger National Park.

• Read more about the pangolin and other curious creatures in our blog here.