Sunda pangolin facts diet and habitat

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IUCN Status: Critically Endangered

Extant (resident): Brunei Darussalam; Cambodia; Indonesia; Lao People’s Democratic Republic; Malaysia; Myanmar; Singapore; Thailand; Viet Nam

Presence Uncertain: China

Sunda pangolins use a fascinating behaviour called “scale vibrations” to communicate with each other. By contracting and relaxing their muscles, they create subtle vibrations that can be sensed by other pangolins through their scales. These vibrations likely play a role in social interactions and mate selection.

Appearance and behaviour

Here are some quirky facts about Sunda Pangolins which demonstrate their reign as one of the most fascinating creatures in the entire animal kingdom:

Walking on the ceiling

Sunda pangolins have an interesting way of moving about. When they are on the ground, they walk on their hind legs with their forelimbs curled upwards. This peculiar method of locomotion is commonly referred to as the “upside-down walk.”

Defensive and protective “pokemon” curl

When Sunda pangolins feel threatened, they have a unique defense mechanism. They curl up into a tight ball, using their scales as a protective armor. This posture makes it incredibly challenging for predators to attack them effectively.

Consummate insectivores

Sunda pangolins have an exceptionally specialised diet. They are insectivores, primarily feeding on ants and termites. Their long, sticky tongues, which can be longer than their body length, allow them to probe deep into termite mounds and anthills to extract their prey.

Manis javanica have scales that vibrate to communicate

Sunda pangolins use a fascinating behaviour called “scale vibrations” to communicate with each other. By contracting and relaxing their muscles, they create subtle vibrations that can be sensed by other pangolins through their scales. These vibrations likely play a role in social interactions and mate selection.

Malayan pangolins have no teeth

Unlike most #mammals, Sunda pangolins lack teeth. However, they possess a muscular stomach and a unique adaptation known as a gizzard-like structure. They swallow small stones or grit, which aids in grinding up their insect prey within the digestive system.

Sunda pangolins have a slow metabolism

Sunda pangolins have a relatively slow metabolism, which contributes to their low energy requirements. This metabolic trait allows them to survive on a diet consisting mainly of insects, which provide them with the necessary nutrients and energy.

ave an unusual digestive system

The digestive system of Sunda pangolins is adapted to handle their specialised diet. It features a long and complex intestine to maximize nutrient absorption, enabling them to extract as many nutrients as possible from the insects they consume.

Threats

Sunda Pangolins are heavily threatened and are now critically endangered. Their main threat is from hunting and poaching for local and international use. Their secondary threat is habitat destruction across their range for palm oil, timber and other crops.

Illegal poaching demand from China and Vietnam

Tragically, the biggest driver in the malayan pangolin’s demise is the illegal trade in poaching. Trade involves large quantities of live and dead animals, meat, and scales. Sophisticated trade routes exist over land and sea, contributing to the decline of Sunda Pangolin populations. Indonesia is a major source of illegal exports involving live pangolins and meat, especially since 2000. Shockingly. Pangolin meat is consumed as a luxury product in high-end urban restaurants, and scales are used in traditional medicine. Illegal trade is supported by insufficient legal protection in SE Asia. Snaring, accidental mortality, and injuries pose risks due to pervasive hunting practices in South East Asia.

Palm oil, timber and mining deforestation

The second largest threat to sunda pangolins is the large-scale deforestation of their rainforest home for mining, timber and palm oil. Not only does this destroy Malayan pangolin habitat, robbing them of a place to live, but it makes it easier for poachers to penetrate further into pangolin territory.

Take action to protect the Sunda Pangolin and their habitat and #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife in the supermarket.

Sunda pangolin habitat

Sunda pangolins (Manis javanica) are found across Southeast Asia. Their range includes countries such as Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, and the islands of Borneo, Java, Sumatra, and the Lesser Sunda Islands.

In terms of habitat, Sunda pangolins prefer forested environments, including primary, secondary, and scrub forests. They can also be found in plantations such as rubber and palm oil plantations. These pangolins have adapted to spend a significant portion of their lives in trees, making use of their prehensile tails for climbing.

Malayan pangolin diet

Sunda pangolins primarily feed on ants and termites, making them insectivores. Their diet consists mainly of these small invertebrates. They use their long, sticky tongues to probe into termite mounds and ant hills, collecting the insects as their main source of sustenance. The lack of teeth in pangolins is compensated by their specialised tongues and digestive system, which are well-adapted to consuming large amounts of ants and termites. This diet of ants and termites provides the necessary nutrients and energy for Malayan pangolins to thrive in their habitat.

Mating and reproduction

Sunda pangolins are fascinating creatures that give birth to one or two pango pups annually. Their breeding season takes place in autumn, and females carefully select winter burrows where they give birth. They prefer mature forest tree hollows for added protection and stability during the birthing and nurturing process.

Parental care lasts for about three months, during which the mother’s range significantly decreases as she travels and forages alongside her young. Only in the weeks before the offspring becomes independent, brief bursts of diurnal activity may be seen. Pangolins are typically solitary and nocturnal, using their ability to roll into protective balls to guard their vulnerable bodies when feeling threatened.

They are skilled diggers, creating burrows lined with vegetation near termite mounds and ant nests for protection. Sunda pangolins are believed to engage in polygynous breeding, with males mating with multiple female partners.

Pregnancy lasts around 130 days, and newborn pangolins have soft scales that harden shortly after birth. Weighing between 100 to 500 grams, the young are nursed by the females for three months, who display strong protective behaviour. During their travels, the baby pangolins often ride on their mother’s tail, and when danger looms, the mother instinctively curls up into a tight ball, providing a secure haven for her young.

FAQS: Sunda pangolin facts

Why is the Sunda pangolin endangered?

The primary threat facing the Sunda pangolin is relentless poaching for the illegal wildlife trade. Demand from China and Vietnam drives this massive black market. Their scales are used in traditional medicine, while their meat is consumed as a luxury product. Furthermore, palm oil and timber deforestation destroy their tropical forest habitat across Southeast Asia. This logging activity also accelerates poaching by creating new access roads into previously untouched jungles. Consequently, the red list lists the species as Critically Endangered.

What is the current Sunda pangolin population?

Scientists cannot provide an exact global population count. The species is highly secretive and solitary, making them incredibly difficult to track. However, the IUCN confirms their numbers are plummeting rapidly. Based on local accounts and trade seizure data, populations are declining dramatically across their entire range. Over a million pangolins worldwide have been poached since 2000. Therefore, urgent action is needed to stop the illegal trade before this species vanishes completely.

Where does the Sunda pangolin live?

The Sunda pangolin habitat spans much of Southeast Asia. Their range includes Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Singapore, and Vietnam. Furthermore, they inhabit the Indonesian islands of Borneo, Java, Sumatra, and the Lesser Sunda Islands. They prefer forested environments, including primary, secondary, and scrub forests. They are highly adapted climbers and spend much of their lives in trees. However, palm oil expansion has forced some into plantations, making them highly vulnerable to poachers.

How does the Sunda pangolin digest their food without teeth?

The Sunda pangolin diet relies entirely on ants and termites. Because they lack teeth completely, they have evolved a highly specialised digestive system. First, they use a sticky tongue longer than their own body to extract insects. Then, they swallow small stones and grit alongside their prey. These stones sit within a muscular, gizzard-like stomach. As the stomach contracts, the stones grind up the insects. Consequently, their long, complex intestine can effectively absorb the nutrients.

What are some interesting facts about the Sunda pangolin?

The Sunda pangolin possesses several highly specialised evolutionary traits. They lack teeth and rely entirely on a sticky tongue to catch ants and termites. This tongue is actually longer than their entire body. Furthermore, they swallow small stones and grit alongside their prey. These stones sit within a muscular stomach to grind up the insects. Interestingly, they also communicate with other pangolins by vibrating their scales.

What eats Sunda pangolins?

In the wild, large carnivores like the Malayan tiger or Sunda clouded leopard may occasionally hunt them. However, their tough keratin scales provide an almost impenetrable defence against animal predators. When threatened, they roll into a tight ball that most animals cannot bite through. Sadly, this exact defence mechanism makes them completely defenceless against humans. It’s a disgraceful reality that humans are the biggest predators of sunda pangolins. Poachers simply pick up the curled pangolins from the forest floor and traffic them globally.

Support Sunda Pangolins by going vegan and boycotting palm oil in the supermarket, it’s the #Boycott4Wildlife

Support the conservation of this species

This animal has no protections in place. Read about other forgotten species here. Create art to support this forgotten animal or raise awareness about them by sharing this post and using the #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife hashtags on social media. Also you can boycott palm oil in the supermarket.

Further Information

Challender, D., Willcox, D.H.A., Panjang, E., Lim, N., Nash, H., Heinrich, S. & Chong, J. 2019. Manis javanica. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2019: e.T12763A123584856. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-3.RLTS.T12763A123584856.en. Accessed on 02 June 2023.

Sunda Pangolin on Wikipedia – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunda_pangolin

Sunda Pangolin on Animalia.bio – https://animalia.bio/sunda-pangolin

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