thumb|Pangolin photographed in Tanzania around 1910
The ground pangolin (Smutsia temminckii), also known as Temminck's pangolin, Cape pangolin or steppe pangolin is a species of pangolin from genus Smutsia of subfamily Smutsiinae the within family Manidae. It is one of four species of pangolins which can be found in Africa, and the only one in southern and eastern Africa. The animal was named for the Dutch zoologist Coenraad Jacob Temminck.
Physical description
Pangolins are almost completely covered in overlapping, protective scales, which makes up about 20% of their body weight. The scales are composed of keratin, the same material that forms human hair and fingernails, The underside of a pangolin is not covered with scales, but sparse fur, instead. When threatened, it usually rolls up into a ball, thus protecting its vulnerable belly.
Pangolins are long exclusive of the tail and weigh from . Across all eight species, adult tail length ranges from about . Mature adults are light brown, olive, and dark brown in color, while young are pale brown or pink in color.
Ground pangolins walk on their hind legs, occasionally using their forelegs and their tail for balance. They have five toes on each hind foot, while their forelimbs feature three long, curved central claws, accompanied by two smaller claws on the first and fifth digits. The ground pangolin's main predators are leopards, hyenas, and humans. Young pangolins ride on the base of their mothers' tails and slip under the mother when she curls up for protection.
Diet
The ground pangolin is wholly myrmecophagous, meaning that they only feed on ants and termites. In fact, they demonstrate prey selectivity, only eating specific ant and termite species rather than foraging on the most abundant species. Their determination of suitable prey does not seem to be based on the size of the species alone, but likely also depends on the chemical and mechanical defenses of each species. Even in arid environments, ground pangolins remain selective in their dietary habits with regard to prey species and only prey on a small subset of available ant and termite species.
Reproduction and lifecycle
The lifespan of the pangolin is unknown, but the observed lifespan in captivity is 20 years. They are sexually dimorphic, with the males being 10–50% heavier than females.
See also
- Mammal classification
- Smutsia