Description

Activity patterns. Solitary, mostly nocturnal, and terrestrial. A poorly known species. Digs its own burrows while foraging, using its forefoot claws and inserting its tail into the ground for support; loose soil is expelled using foreand hindfeet while backing up from the burrow. Excavation rate is 2 - 3 m / h. Burrows are mainly found on 20 - 60 ° slopes with south-facing entrance and dense vegetation cover. There is a single entrance of 15 - 20 cm in diameter, which then widens into larger chambers reaching 2 m in diameter; entrance is frequently hidden or blocked with dirt. Winter is spent in a 3 - 4 m deep burrow, occupied by a single adult or a mother and a young. Whether the Short-tailed Pangolin uses the same winter burrow or repeatedly changes is unknown. Summer burrows are shallower (15 - 50 cm below ground) and shorter (80 - 100 cm long), and have a series of walls of dirt within them. In summer, these pangolins show a wide activity range, and generally change burrows every 2 - 7 days. Observed active for relatively short and interspersed periods, between 17: 00 - 19: 00 h and 22: 00 - 02: 00 h. Main walk is quadrupedal, with tail in contact with ground. Walk is usually slow, but they can move quickly using a bipedal stance on hindlegs and tail as a balance. Able swimmer and climber. Caterpillar-like walk is used to climb large trunks or branches, with prehensile tail curled up as support. Body temperature reaches 33 - 34 - 5 ° C. Body has a fat layer c. 1 cm thick that may contribute to insulation from external temperatures. Metabolic rate is much higher than in larger species of pangolins; it is increased to maintain stable body temperature when ambient temperature is less than 25 ° C. Higher affinity of its hemoglobin to oxygen compared to non-burrowing mammals suggests adaptation to long periods of stay in hypoxic environment such as sealed burrows. Respiration rhythm is irregular — from 14 - 20 to 42 - 53 breaths / minute — and sometimes almost apneic. Reported to survive 1 h of constrained submersion under water. Reacts to alarming noise by putting head between hindlegs, to present the dorsal part of the scaled armor as a first defense. In case of imminent danger, rolls into a ball. Scales on sides oftail are sharp and can be used to harm enemies.

Common Names

Taxonomic Hierarchy

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Mammalia

Order: Pholidota

Family: Manidae

Genus: Manis

Species: Manis pentadactyla Linnaeus, 1758