The giant pangolin (Smutsia gigantea) is a species of pangolin from genus Smutsia of subfamily Smutsiinae within the family Manidae. It is the largest living species of pangolins. Members of the species inhabit Africa with a range stretching along the equator from West Africa to Uganda. It subsists almost entirely on ants and termites.
Description
The giant pangolin is the largest of all pangolin species. While its average mass has not been measured, one specimen was found to weigh between and .
Behavior and ecology
The giant pangolin, like other pangolins, is nocturnal, which makes observation difficult. It is also usually solitary, although in one case an adult was seen in a burrow with a juvenile.
Diet
Like all pangolins, the giant pangolin is a specialized insectivore that lacks teeth and the ability to chew. Its diet mainly consists of ants and termites, which it finds by tearing open anthills and termite nests, both subterranean and mound-type.
Because of its relatively large size, the giant pangolin is particularly well-suited to breaking open termite mounds by leaning on the mound and resting its weight on its tail, and then ripping into the mound with its front claws. The combination of weight and physical damage quickly leads to a partial collapse of the mound, exposing the termites. Only the adults are strong enough to do this; their young must follow behind their mothers until they grow large enough to do it for themselves. It eats the insects by picking them up with its sticky tongue, which is up to long fully extended and can extend out of the mouth for more than .
Conservation
The giant pangolin has been listed on CITES Appendix I since January 2017.
Phylogeny
Phylogenetic position of Smutsia gigantea within family Manidae based on Wangmo (2025.) study:
See also
- Mammal classification
- Smutsia