Malay pangolin

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Malay pangolin
Malay pangolin (Manis javanica)

Malay pangolin ( Manis javanica )

Systematics
Superordinate : Laurasiatheria
Order : Pholidota
Family : Pangolins (Manidae)
Subfamily : Maninae
Genre : Manis
Type : Malay pangolin
Scientific name
Manis javanica
Desmarest , 1822

The Malayan pangolin ( Manis javanica ), also Malay-pangolin or Javanese pangolin called, is a mammal of the family of pangolins (Manidae). In Southeast Asia it occurs primarily in tropical rainforests , but also in partly open landscapes. The animals live solitary and sometimes tree-climbing and are largely nocturnal. The main food is colony-forming insects such as ants and termites . The exact way of life of the Malay pangolin has not been adequately researched. The pangolin species is heavily hunted by humans because its meat is considered a delicacy and the scales and other body parts are used as remedies in traditional Chinese medicine . Due to the intensity of the persecution, individual stocks have already collapsed locally. The Malay pangolin is critically endangered. The species was scientifically described in 1822.

features

Habitus

As a medium-sized representative of the pangolins, the Malay pangolin reaches a head-trunk length of 40 to 65 cm. In addition, there is a 35 to 58 cm long tail, which makes the tail slightly shorter than the rest of the body. The weight varies between 3 and 10 kg. The males are slightly larger than the females. As with all pangolin species, the top of the head, back and flanks, the outside of the limbs and the tail of the Malay pangolin are covered with horny scales. The scales are tinted brown or red-brown to olive-colored and thus clearly darker in color than the related Palawan pangolin ( Manis culionensis ). However, yellowish shades of color can also occur in some animals. Furthermore, the individual scales are larger than in the Palawan pangolin and are arranged in 15 to 18, sometimes 19 rows on the body. Typically a line of scales runs along the median back to the end of the tail. At the tip of the tail, there is a free area of ​​skin on the underside. The scales have a V-shape and are about as long as they are wide, especially on the lower side of the body and on the lower tail the scales have a distinctive central keel. The size of the scales hardly changes from the front to the back of the body. Individual hairs sprout between the scales, a thicker coat only covers the unscaled parts of the body. The hair is very thin and long and colored whitish, the skin, on the other hand, has a pale gray tone and is only a little darker on the nose. The small eyes show a dark iris , the ears show a thickened cartilage ridge. The front legs are only slightly shorter than the rear legs. There are five short and curved claws on the front feet, the third being a grave claw with a length of up to 4.2 cm. The rear feet, which are also fifteen, also have claws, here the middle claw is a maximum of 3.7 cm long. The rear foot length averages 6.1 cm.

Skull and skeletal features

The conically shaped skull varies in length from 6 to 10 cm and is equipped with a relatively long and thick rostrum . As with other pangolins, the zygomatic arch is incompletely developed, but in contrast to the Palawan pangolin, the anterior bone process attached to the zygomatic bone extends significantly further back. The nasal bones take up more than a third of the total length of the skull and thus exceed those of the Palawan pangolin in proportion. The long tail is formed from 28 to 29 vertebrae.

distribution and habitat

Distribution area (green) of the Malay pangolin

The Malay pangolin is widespread in mainland Southeast Asia from central and southern Myanmar to western and southeastern Thailand , central and southern Laos and Vietnam , via Cambodia to the Malay Peninsula . In the Malay Archipelago , it inhabits the islands of Sumatra , Borneo and Java, among others . The populations of the Philippines are considered today with the Palawan pangolin ( Manis culionensis ) as a separate species. So far, records of the pangolin species from the southern Chinese province of Yunnan have been extremely rare . The animals use a variety of habitats, including primarily primary and secondary tropical rainforests or riparian forests , but they avoid mangrove areas . In addition, they also occur in grasslands with fragmented, preserved island-like forests, in gardens and on plantations right up to the edge of human settlements. In contrast, they are not found in areas with intensive agriculture. Sometimes the Malay pangolin has also been found in higher mountain areas, such as at Kinabalu on Borneo at an altitude of up to 1700 m or on Lombok at up to 1500 m. In the northern range - especially where it occurs sympatric with the Chinese pangolin ( Manis pentadactyla ) - it generally uses areas below the 600 m contour line.

Way of life

Territorial behavior

Malay pangolin climbing in tree
Malay pangolin, photo from the 1920s

The Malay pangolin is very rarely sighted, so little information is available about its way of life. It is a rather shy, predominantly nocturnal animal. The main activity phases are between 6:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. or between 3:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m., depending on the reports. This very active phase lasts about two to two and a half hours. However, the animals can occasionally also be observed during the day, especially younger individuals with their mother. The pangolin lives largely solitary and partly in trees (semi- arboricol ). Individual animals maintain activity areas , the size of which varies from 7  ha for females to 43 ha for males. It is not known whether the action areas of the individual animals overlap. In these action areas there are usually several protective structures that are dug themselves or taken over by other animals, but can also be natural cavities. The burrows are placed in depressions in the terrain, under fallen trees or as tree hollows in living trees with a trunk diameter of at least 50 cm. The underground structures have one or two entrances 13 to 24 cm in diameter, the corridors run 60 to 350 cm wide, almost horizontally below the ground. There are often ant or termite nests near the burrows, often at a distance of 50 to 100 m. The Malay pangolin usually returns to the same burrow for several days in a row before seeking out a new one. However, females are more tied to their place than males, some of whom only rest on piles of grass , such as silver-haired grass , or in the branches of trees or even in buildings. As a rule, the animals move only a little (about 300 to 500 m) from the burrow. On the ground, an animal moves mainly on four feet, with the claws of the forefeet folded down and walking on the ankles. The back is curved and the tail is oriented parallel to the ground in order to maintain balance. In the trees it climbs with the help of the claws and the powerful tail, which also functions as a prehensile tail. In the event of threat, the Malay pangolin can curl up into a ball that can hardly be broken due to the sharp edges of the horn scales.

nutrition

The diet consists entirely of ants and termites . The Malay pangolin is highly selective and, according to studies from Singapore , prefers representatives of the genera Polyrhachis and Anoplolepis among the ants , but clearly avoids those of Philidris , Myrmicaria and Crematogaster . Ants take up to two thirds of their food. In total, almost a dozen genera are known to be consumed by the pangolin species. In search of food, the Malay pangolin predominantly uses its excellently developed sense of smell . It primarily rummages in dense undergrowth or under rotting tree trunks for food. The long and sticky tongue is constantly stretched out and pulled back into the mouth with the potential prey. The prey is ground up in the stomach due to the toothless mouth . The pangolin spends a little more than two minutes at a feeding place.

Reproduction

The reproductive behavior of the Malay pangolin has not been adequately researched. Mating may occur all year round. The gestation period is assumed to be two to three months, after which one young animal, but occasionally two, are born. A birth was reported in September. Newborns initially have soft scales that harden in the first few days of life. For the rearing of the young, the mother animals prefer dense forests with numerous hiding spots. At first the boy lives in the mother's den, later she carries it on her tail. The young animal is weaned at around three months. By then, his body weight has roughly doubled. According to individual observations, the mother and young animal are significantly more diurnal during the last phase of rearing.

Parasites

External parasites of the Malay pangolin are mainly known in the form of ticks of the genus Amblyomma . In studies of animals from the Malay Peninsula , ticks were found in almost two thirds of all adult individuals, and in young animals even in 100% of the individuals examined. Male animals were more frequently affected than females, but the infestation was more intense in the latter. Among the endoparasites, the single-cell Eimeria belonging to the coccidia should be emphasized.

Systematics

Internal systematics of the Manidae according to Gaubert et al. 2018
  Manidae  
  Manis  


 Manis crassicaudata


   

 Manis culionensis


   

 Manis javanica




   

 Manis pentadactyla



   
  Smutsia  

 Smutsia gigantea


   

 Smutsia temminckii



  Phataginus  

 Phataginus tetradactyla


   

 Phataginus tricuspis





Template: Klade / Maintenance / Style

The Malay pangolin is a species from the genus Manis . This consists of three other existing today species along the Asian representative of the family of pangolins include (Manidae). The pangolins in turn represent the currently only member of the order of the Pholidota, which are thus monotypical . They are part of the extensive relationship of the carnivores (Carnivora), a relationship which, however, was only determined and verified through molecular genetic studies. Within the pangolins, the Asian representatives are in turn placed in the subfamily Maninae . This contrasts with the African pangolins, which belong to the subfamilies of the Smutsiinae and the Phatagininae .

The genus Manis is often divided into the subgenus Manis and Paramanis , with the Malay pangolin in the latter. The closest relative is the Palawan pangolin ( Manis culionensis ), the only other representative of Paramanis . Until the end of the 1990s, the Palawan pangolin was considered identical to the Malay pangolin, but today it is listed as a separate species due to differences in the construction of the skull and the horn scales. It mainly inhabits the Philippine island of Palawan and some offshore islands to the north. The species possibly originated in the Pleistocene through speciation as a result of geographical isolation from the other populations of the Malay pangolin. The view could also be confirmed by molecular genetic studies.

Little is known about the Malay pangolin fossil finds. Some of the remains come from the Niah caves of Sarawak on Borneo , which are dated to around 40,000 years. They occur there together with those of the much larger and now extinct Manis palaeojavanica , whose relationship to the Malay pangolin has not yet been clarified. There is no distinction between subspecies of the Malay pangolin. The first scientific description of the species was in 1822 by Anselme Gaëtan Desmarest .

Threat and protection

The main threat to the Malay pangolin population is illegal hunting. On the one hand, the meat is used as food, both for self-sufficiency and as a delicacy, on the other hand, the scales and other body parts also serve as a means for treating various diseases in traditional Chinese medicine , for example against nosebleeds, fever or cancer . A large part of the animals ends up alive on the black market, which is becoming increasingly internationalized and includes thousands of animals traded every year; the main buyers are China and Vietnam . Since 2000, any trade in animals or their body parts has been prohibited under the Washington Convention on Endangered Species (CITES) (CITES zero annual export quota ). However, there is still extremely high pressure from hunting on the Malay pangolin populations. Since the CITES agreement came into force, the population has fallen dramatically. In addition to hunting, habitat loss due to deforestation also has a major impact on populations. Although the Malay pangolin can survive in areas used by humans, dense forests with large trees and natural shelters are obviously necessary to raise the offspring. All of this has led to the fact that in the northern regions of the distribution area, such as in Laos and Thailand , the populations of the Malay pangolin have almost collapsed, and extensive hunting has reached the southern distribution areas in recent years. Occasionally, animals are also killed in traffic accidents. The IUCN is an overall drop of populations since the 1990s to nearly 80%. Therefore, it upgraded the species in 2014 from the endangered category of “endangered” to “ critically endangered ” . The pangolin is present in several protected areas within the distribution area.

literature

  • Phillipe Gaubert: Order Pholidota. In: Don E. Wilson and Russell A. Mittermeier (eds.): Handbook of the Mammals of the World. Volume 2: Hooved Mammals. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona 2011, ISBN 978-84-96553-77-4 , pp. 82-103 (pp. 98-99)
  • Ronald M. Nowak: Walker's Mammals of the World . Johns Hopkins University Press, 1999 ISBN 0-8018-5789-9
  • Don E. Wilson, DeeAnn M. Reeder (Eds.): Mammal Species of the World . 3rd edition. The Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore 2005, ISBN 0-8018-8221-4 .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e f g h Phillipe Gaubert: Order Pholidota. In: Don E. Wilson and Russell A. Mittermeier (eds.): Handbook of the Mammals of the World. Volume 2: Hooved Mammals. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona 2011, ISBN 978-84-96553-77-4 , pp. 82-103 (pp. 98-99)
  2. ^ A b Alfred Feiler: The Philippine pangolin, Manis culionensis Elera, 1915, an almost forgotten species (Mammalia: Pholidota: Manidae). Zoological treatises Staatliches Museum für Tierkunde Dresden 50 (12), 1998, pp. 161–164
  3. ↑ Wu Shibao, Liu Naifa, Zhang Yingmei and Ma Guanghzi: Physical measurements and comparison for two species of pangolin. Acta Theriologieca Sinica 24 (4), 2004, pp. 361-364
  4. ^ A b Philippe Gaubert and Agostinho Antunes: Assessing the taxonomic status of the Palawan pangolin Manis culionensis (Pholidota) using discrete morphological characters. Journal of Mammalogy 86 (6), 2005, pp. 1068-1074 abstract
  5. ^ Wu Shi-Bao, Wang Yin-Xiang and Feng Qing: A new record of mammal in China - Manis javanica. Acta Zootaxonomica Sinica 30 (2), 2005, pp. 440-443
  6. ^ A b c Norman TL Lim: Ecological research and Conservation of Sunda Pangolin Manis javanica in Singapore. In: S. Pantel and CS Yun (Eds.): Proceedings of the Workshop on Trade and Conservation of Pangolins Native to South and Southeast Asia, 30 June - 2 July 2008, Singapore Zoo, Singapore. TRAFFIC Southeast Asia, Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia, 2008, pp. 90-93
  7. ↑ a b D. Challender, T. Nguyen Van, C. Shepherd, K. Krishnasamy, A. Wang, B. Lee, E. Panjang, L. Fletcher, S. Heng, J. Seah Han Ming, A. Olsson, A. Nguyen The Truong, Q. Nguyen Van and Y. Chung: Manis javanica. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2014.2. ( [1] ); last accessed on November 10, 2014
  8. ↑ Daniel Challender: Asian pangolins: How Behavioral Research can Contribute to Their Conservation. In: S. Pantel and CS Yun (Eds.): Proceedings of the Workshop on Trade and Conservation of Pangolins Native to South and Southeast Asia, 30 June - 2 July 2008, Singapore Zoo, Singapore. TRAFFIC Southeast Asia, Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia, 2008, pp. 95-102
  9. ↑ a b Daniel WS Challender, Nguyen Van Thai, Martin Jones and Les May: Time Budget and Activity Patterns of Captive Sunda pangolins (Manis javanica). Zoo Biology 31, 2012, pp. 206-218
  10. ↑ a b c Norman TL Lim and Peter KL Ng: Home range, activity cycle and natal den usage of a female Sunda pangolin Manis javanica (Mammalia: Pholidota) in Singapore. Endangered Species Research 3, 2007, pp. 1-8
  11. ↑ a b Erwin Sopyan: Malayan Pangolin Manis javanica Trade in Sumatra. In: S. Pantel and CS Yun (Eds.): Proceedings of the Workshop on Trade and Conservation of Pangolins Native to South and Southeast Asia, 30 June - 2 July 2008, Singapore Zoo, Singapore. TRAFFIC Southeast Asia, Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia, 2008, pp. 134-142
  12. ↑ Marina Hassan, Muhammad Hafiz Sulaiman and Chong Ju Lian: The prevalence and intensity of Amblyomma javanense infestation on Malayan Pangolins (Manis javanica Desmarest) from Peninsular Malaysia. Acta Tropica 126, 2013, pp. 142-145
  13. ^ Andrei Daniel Mihalca, Călin Mircea Gherman and Vasile Cozma: Coendangered hard-ticks: threatened or threatening? Parasites & Vectors 4, 2011, p. 71
  14. ↑ Miloslav Jirků, Jana Kvičerová, David Modrý and Václav Hypša: Evolutionary Plasticity in Coccidia - Striking Morphological Similarity of Unrelated Coccidia (Apicomplexa) from Related Hosts: Eimeria spp. From African and Asian Pangolins (Mammalia: Pholidota). Protist 164, 2013, pp. 470-481
  15. ↑ a b c Philippe Gaubert, Agostinho Antunes, Hao Meng, Lin Miao, Stéphane Peigné, Fabienne Justy, Flobert Njiokou, Sylvain Dufour, Emmanuel Danquah, Jayanthi Alahakoon, Erik Verheyen, William T. Stanley, Stephen J. O'Brien, Warren E. Johnson and Shu-Jin Luo: The Complete Phylogeny of Pangolins: Scaling Up Resources for the Molecular Tracing of the Most Trafficked Mammals on Earth. Journal of Heredity 109, 2018, pp. 347-359, doi: 10.1093 / jhered / esx097
  16. ↑ William J. Murphy, Eduardo Eizirik, Stephen J. O'Brien, Ole Madsen, Mark Scally, Christophe J. Douady, Emma Teeling, Oliver A. Ryder, Michael J. Stanhope, Wilfried W. de Jong and Mark S. Springer : Resolution of the Early Placental Mammal Radiation Using Bayesian Phylogenetics. Science 294, 2001, pp. 2348-2351
  17. ↑ Timothy J. Gaudin, Robert J. Emry, and John R. Wible: The Phylogeny of Living and Extinct Pangolins (Mammalia, Pholidota) and Associated Taxa: A Morphology Based Analysis. Journal of Mammalian Evolution 16, 2009, pp. 235-305
  18. ↑ Tom Harrisson, Dirk Albert Hooijer and Lord Medway: An extinct giant pangolin and associated mammals from Niah cave, Sarawak. Nature 189, 1961, p. 166
  19. ↑ Don E. Wilson, DeeAnn M. Reeder (Ed.): Mammal Species of the World . 3rd edition. The Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore 2005, ISBN 0-8018-8221-4 ( [2] )
  20. ↑ Heng Namyi and Annette Olsson: Pangolin Research in Cambodia. In: S. Pantel and CS Yun (Eds.): Proceedings of the Workshop on Trade and Conservation of Pangolins Native to South and Southeast Asia, 30 June - 2 July 2008, Singapore Zoo, Singapore. TRAFFIC Southeast Asia, Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia, 2008, pp. 172-175
  21. ↑ Peter Newton1, Nguyen Van Thai, Scott Roberton and Diana Bell: Pangolins in peril: using local hunters' knowledge to conserve elusive species in Vietnam. Endangered Species Research 6, 2008, pp. 41-53
  22. ^ Nguyen Dao Ngoc Van and Nguyễn Xuân Ðặng: The Pangolin Trade in Viet Nam. In: S. Pantel and CS Yun (Eds.): Proceedings of the Workshop on Trade and Conservation of Pangolins Native to South and Southeast Asia, 30 June - 2 July 2008, Singapore Zoo, Singapore. TRAFFIC Southeast Asia, Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia, 2008, pp. 164-168
  23. ↑ Sing Yun Chin and Sandrine Pantel: Pangolin Capture and Trade in Malaysia. In: S. Pantel and CS Yun (Eds.): Proceedings of the Workshop on Trade and Conservation of Pangolins Native to South and Southeast Asia, 30 June - 2 July 2008, Singapore Zoo, Singapore. TRAFFIC Southeast Asia, Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia, 2008, pp. 143-162
  24. ↑ Markus Handschuh: Pangolins in Southeast Asia. ZGAP Mitteilungen 28 (1), 2012, pp. 16–18 ( [3] )
  25. ↑ Badrul Azhar, David Lindenmayer, Jeff Wood, Joern Fischer, Adrian Manning, Chris McElhinny and Mohamed Zakaria: Contribution of illegal hunting, culling of pest species, road accidents and feral dogs to biodiversity loss in established oil-palm landscapes. Wildlife Research 40, 2013, pp. 1-9

Web links

Commons : Malay pangolin ( Manis javanica )  - Collection of images, videos and audio files