Wildlifeof India
Thick-tailed Pangolin
Pangolins, Hares, Pikas & Shrews
Photo: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Headquarters · CC BY 4.0 (May be cropped or resized)
Manis crassicaudata
Basic stats
Diet
Almost only ants and termites, including their eggs and larvae
Habitat
Forest types from plains to middle hills; prefers soft, semi-sandy soil for burrowing; recorded to 2,300m in the Nilgiris
Range
Pakistan, India, Nepal and Sri Lanka
Litter size
Usually one young
Gestation period
65–70 days
Size
84–122cm from head to tail; tail 33–47cm
Weight
10–16kg
The Indian pangolin, or scaly anteater, is a solitary, shy, slow-moving, nocturnal animal covered in 160–200 large overlapping keratin scales that act as armour. It is 84–122 cm long from head to tail and weighs 10–16 kg. It has no teeth and feeds almost entirely on ants and termites, finding nests and mounds by scent and breaking into them with claws as long as its forearm, then catching prey with a long sticky tongue (Wikipedia, general species account).
It has been recorded in various forest types and from plains to the middle hills, including at 2,300 m in the Nilgiri mountains. It is mainly active between about 17:00 and 05:00. It digs two kinds of burrow, small feeding burrows and larger ones for resting by day, and prefers soft, semi-sandy soil. Gestation is 65–70 days, usually producing a single young that the mother carries on her tail. Poaching for meat and scales and habitat loss are the main threats (Wikipedia, general species account).
Quick answers
- What does the Thick-tailed Pangolin eat?
- Almost only ants and termites, including their eggs and larvae
- What habitat does the Thick-tailed Pangolin live in?
- Forest types from plains to middle hills; prefers soft, semi-sandy soil for burrowing; recorded to 2,300m in the Nilgiris
- Where is the Thick-tailed Pangolin found?
- Pakistan, India, Nepal and Sri Lanka
- What is the litter size of the Thick-tailed Pangolin?
- Usually one young
- How long is the gestation period of the Thick-tailed Pangolin?
- 65–70 days
- How big is the Thick-tailed Pangolin?
- 84–122cm from head to tail; tail 33–47cm
- How much does the Thick-tailed Pangolin weigh?
- 10–16kg