Chimp & See Talk

Pangolin species

  • jwidness by jwidness moderator

    There are 3 species of pangolin we could expect to see on C&S videos: the giant pangolin, the tree pangolin (also known as the white-bellied pangolin), and the long-tailed pangolin (also known as the black-bellied pangolin).

    Giant pangolins are pretty easy to identify -- they're huge! They're also terrestrial, with fat/wide tails, and large scales.

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    Tree pangolins are much smaller, less than one tenth the weight of giant pangolins. They're more arboreal than giant pangolins, with long, fairly narrow tails, and small scales.

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    Photo credit: Leigh Kelsey

    Long-tailed pangolins are closely related to tree pangolins -- in fact, the two species are sometimes referred to collectively as "tree pangolins". They're a similar weight, and found in similar habitats, but long-tailed pangolins have much larger individual scales. Tail length for long-tailed pangolins is reportedly about 2x the head/body length, while for tree pangolins it's a slightly shorter 1.5x. Long-tailed pangolins are also reported to be more strictly arboreal than tree pangolins, and can be active during the day, while tree pangolins are only nocturnal. We have no confirmed videos of long-tailed pangolins, but here's a photo -- maybe you can spot one!

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    Photo credit: Peter Eimon

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  • puddock by puddock

    Fantastic! Thanks J - what fabulous creatures they are!

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  • MimiA by MimiA scientist, moderator

    pangolin tag group: https://talk.chimpandsee.org/#/collections/CCPL00001o

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