Wildlifeof Sri Lanka
Thick-tailed Pangolin
Pangolins, Hares & 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
Habitat
Soft, semi-sandy soil suited to burrowing
Litter size
1
Gestation period
65-70 days
Size
84-122cm long
Weight
10-16kg
The Indian pangolin is a solitary, nocturnal animal covered in 160 to 200 large overlapping keratin scales that act as armour. It is 84 to 122 cm long and weighs 10 to 16 kg. It has no teeth and feeds almost entirely on ants and termites, which it catches with a long sticky tongue after breaking into mounds with claws as long as its forearms (Wikipedia, general species account).
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 to 70 days, usually producing a single young of 235 to 400 g, which the mother carries on her tail. Poaching for meat and scales and habitat loss are the main threats (Wikipedia, general species account). Nationally Near Threatened (Sri Lanka National Red List 2012).
Quick answers
- What does the Thick-tailed Pangolin eat?
- Almost only ants and termites
- What habitat does the Thick-tailed Pangolin live in?
- Soft, semi-sandy soil suited to burrowing
- What is the litter size of the Thick-tailed Pangolin?
- 1
- How long is the gestation period of the Thick-tailed Pangolin?
- 65-70 days
- How big is the Thick-tailed Pangolin?
- 84-122cm long
- How much does the Thick-tailed Pangolin weigh?
- 10-16kg