What do pangolins eat, and what are their natural enemies? A detailed look at protection levels and captive breeding

The pangolin (an animal of the genus Manis in the order Pholidota) generally refers to the genus Manis. It mostly comes out at night to forage, resting by day and emerging at night, and when it encounters an enemy it curls up into a ball.So what do pangolins eat? What are their natural enemies? Which protection level do they hold? Can they be bred in captivity? According to information on the Manidae family, pangolins feed on termites and ants, including ant larvae and eggs; they also eat ants and their larvae, bees, wasps and the larvae of other insects. Their appetite is very large: the stomach of a well-fed adult pangolin can hold 500 grams of termites. They can also climb trees to seek out termites, hooking their sharp claws into the trunk and bracing or wrapping their powerful tail around it. They come into estrus and mate in late summer and early autumn, then enter a burrow to gestate, give birth and nurse their young. In early spring of the following year, the cubs are carried out of the burrow by the mother, and sometimes the mother can be seen moving about with her cubs on her back, or even the amusing sight of 3 cubs scrambling to ride on their mother's back.

What are the natural enemies of the pangolin?

Pangolins mostly dig burrows to live in among the grasses of piedmont zones or in the damper parts of hilly mixed scrub. They rest by day and emerge at night, and when they meet an enemy they curl up into a ball; their hard shell makes it difficult for fierce beasts to bite through or swallow them. When large carnivores such as lions try to bite a pangolin curled into a ball, the pangolin can also use its muscles to make its scales perform a cutting motion, slashing the enemy's mouth; animals that try to eat a pangolin will be cut severely. Its tongue is slender and can extend and retract, and carries sticky saliva. When foraging, it uses its keen sense of smell to locate ant nests, digs open the ant hole with the claws of its strong forelimbs, pushes its snout deep into the hole and laps up the ants with its long tongue.

Which protection level does the pangolin hold?

Pangolins are widely hunted in Asia for use as food and in traditional medicine. The species has declined greatly across its native habitat. The Chinese pangolin has been listed in Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora since 1990, meaning that any commercial use from hunting in the wild is prohibited. Export and trade are banned in many different countries and regions, including Bangladesh, China, India, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Taiwan, China, Thailand and Vietnam. In China it is a national second-class protected animal, and hunting and eating it are prohibited; illegal hunting, smuggling or trafficking can result in a prison sentence of 5 years or more, and in serious cases up to life imprisonment.

Can pangolins be bred in captivity?

1. Pangolins can be bred in captivity, but they cannot be bred artificially; the pangolins in farms today are all small pangolins captured in the wild.

2. Permits required for keeping pangolins in captivity:

The farmer writes a written "Report on the Situation of Applying for a Wildlife Domestication and Breeding Permit" and submits it for approval to the village unit, the township (town) forestry station and the forestry administration section (division) of the county (city) forestry bureau; then the provincial forestry department approves and issues the “Wildlife Breeding and Domestication Permit”, after which breeding may begin.