Wildlifeof Nepal
Indian Pangolin
Pangolins, Treeshrews, Shrews & Gymnures
Photo: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Headquarters · CC BY 4.0
Manis crassicaudata
Basic stats
Diet
Almost only ants and termites
Habitat
Soft, semi-sandy soil suited to burrowing; recorded to 2,300m in the Nilgiris
Range
Pakistan, India, Nepal and Sri Lanka
Litter size
Usually one
Gestation period
65–70 days
Size
Length 84–122cm; tail 33–47cm
Weight
10–16kg
The Indian pangolin is a solitary, nocturnal animal covered in large overlapping scales that act as armour, each about 6.5 to 7cm long. It is 84 to 122cm long from head to tail, the tail usually 33 to 47cm, and it weighs 10 to 16kg. It has no teeth and feeds almost entirely on ants and termites, caught with a long sticky tongue after claws break into the mounds (Wikipedia, general species account).
It digs two kinds of burrow, small feeding burrows and larger ones for resting by day. Gestation is 65 to 70 days and usually produces a single young, carried on the mother's tail. Poaching for meat and scales and habitat loss are the main threats. The sources opened give nothing specific to Nepal beyond its range. Nationally Endangered (Nepal National Red List 2011).
Quick answers
- What does the Indian Pangolin eat?
- Almost only ants and termites
- What habitat does the Indian Pangolin live in?
- Soft, semi-sandy soil suited to burrowing; recorded to 2,300m in the Nilgiris
- Where is the Indian Pangolin found?
- Pakistan, India, Nepal and Sri Lanka
- What is the litter size of the Indian Pangolin?
- Usually one
- How long is the gestation period of the Indian Pangolin?
- 65–70 days
- How big is the Indian Pangolin?
- Length 84–122cm; tail 33–47cm
- How much does the Indian Pangolin weigh?
- 10–16kg