Philippine Pangolin

Manis culionensis

Philippine Pangolin

“ A pine cone or a globe artichoke thing of unknown origin. ”

– Ahsoka Tano (post-Rescris)


“ One of the most widely traded mammals in the world, Philippine pangolins are solitary, nocturnal, non-vocal, and semi-arboreal animals that are killed for their meat, blood, and scales. ”

– unknown author (Two Lights to Equation only)


“ Philippine pangolins are solitary, nocturnal, non-vocal and semi-arboreal Philippine pangolins are among the most heavily trafficked mammals in the world hunted for their meat, blood and scales. ”

– unknown author  (Historya Davvun to Weather Dragons only)

Scientific Taxonomy & Character Information

Domain: Eukaryota

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Clade: Synapsida

Class: Mammalia

Order: Pholidota

Family: Manidae

Genus: Manis

Subgenus: Paramanis

Species: Manis culionensis

Descendant: Manidae

Named by: Casto de Elera

Year Published: 1895

Size: 30 to 90 centimetres (12 to 35 in) long, plus a 26 to 88 centimetres (10 to 35 in) tail. It weighs 2 to 77 lb (1 to 35 kg)

Lifespan: 4 to 15+ years

Type: 

Title: 

Pantheon: 

Time Period: Pleistocene - Holocene

Alignment: Shy

Threat Level: ★★

Diet: Insectivors

Elements: n/a

Inflicts: n/a

Weaknesses: Water, leaf, electric, light, time, sound

Casualties: ???

Based On: itself

Conservation Status: 

The Philippine pangolin or Palawan pangolin (Manis culionensis), also locally known as balintong, is a pangolin species endemic to the Palawan province of the Philippines.

Etymology

The name "pangolin" comes from the Malay word pengguling (ڤڠݢوليڠ⁩), meaning "one who rolls up," from guling or giling, "to roll"; it was used for the Sunda pangolin (Manis javanica). However, the modern name is Tenggiling (تڠݢيليڠ). In Javanese, it is terenggiling (ꦠꦺꦫꦺꦔꦒꦶꦭꦶꦔ꧀), and in the Philippine languages, it is goling (ᜄᜓᜎᜒᜈ᜔), tanggiling (ᜆᜅ᜔ᜄᜒᜎᜒᜅ᜔), or balintong (ᜊᜎᜒᜆᜓᜅ᜔; with the same meaning).

Physical Appearance

The Philippine pangolin is roughly 30 to 90 centimeters (12 to 35 in) long, plus a 26 to 88 centimeters (10 to 35 in) tail. It weighs 2 to 77 lb (1 to 35 kg). Philippine pangolins in captivity can live up to about 20 years. It is covered in small triangular scales made of keratin everywhere except the underbelly and face, making up at least 20% of the body weight. It regrows new scales when they are lost and always has the same number of scales throughout its lifespan. The scales come in shades of brown, yellow and olive, making for adequate camouflage at night. Newer offspring have much softer scales than adults and tend to weigh about 90–500 grams (3–18 oz). Areas of the body without scales are covered in a layer of hair.


The Philippine pangolin has five sharp claws per foot and powerful appendages used for digging. However, these claws are not used as weapons for attacking or defending other animals. Pangolins can also run solely on their hind legs for a duration, using their tail for balance.

Abilities

The pangolin's hard scales work as a protective cover from predators, and when it feels threatened, it curls into a ball ("volvation"). Despite being covered in scales, its tail is prehensile, enabling it to stand on its hind legs or grasp onto branches. The tail's spiky scales can be employed as a weapon to pierce adversaries or to help the species ascend and stand erect.


The tongue of the Philippine pangolin is coated in sticky saliva that helps it attract insects, and it can extend up to 25 cm (10 inches) in length. It has a long nose, no teeth, and a cone-shaped head.

Ecology

The Philippine pangolin is a myrmecophage, so it has a diet consisting mainly of, but not limited to, termites and ants. It has an incredible sense of smell that it uses to find its food. The Philippine pangolin seems to have strong preferences when it comes to the insects they eat, selectively consuming a certain species of ant or termite they like, or even actively avoiding certain species when there is enough food abundance to be picky.


Its forefeet are used to dig into mounds and logs, while its tongue harvests insects. The pangolin will only ever eat a portion of a termite or ant colony, leaving most of the mound or hill intact for the colony to regrow and act as a continuous food source for the pangolin later down the line. It consumes sand and small stones to help grind food in their stomachs.

Behavior

You scare pangolins more than they scare you. These timid animals will not harm a human. In order to defend themselves, they curl into a tight sphere and use their sharp scales to ward off predators.

Conservation

In 2016, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) listed the animal as protected under Appendix I (meaning commercial international trade was prohibited) due to how much international trade influenced pangolin hunting, under the Philippine government and international conservation law. The Zoological Society of London has listed the mammal as an EDGE species.

Distribution and Habitat

It is endemic to the Philippines, where it is found in the Palawan faunal region. Philippine pangolins’ are found in lowland primary and secondary forests, grassland mixed mosaics of agricultural lands, and scrublands adjacent to secondary forests. The population of Philippine pangolins is poorly understood. Because of its elusive, solitary, and nocturnal habits as well as its increasing rarity, this species is rarely seen. Additionally, information on population densities and abundance is lacking.


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