ORDER PHOLIDOTAPresenting By

Waqas MunirSafina AmanFatima Aslam

PresentingTo

Sir. Zaheer Ahmad

ORDER PHOLIDOTA

• PANGOLINS Pangolins are also known as scaly anteaters or Old World

anteaters. Living members of the family Manidae include . . . • 4 species in Africa • 3 species in India, South China and South East Asia.

PANGOLINS

Scientific classificationKingdom: AnimaliaPhylum: ChordataClass: MammaliaInfraclass: EutheriaSuperorder: Laurasiatheria

Order: Pholidota

Family: Manidae

Genus: Manis

General Characteritics

• Pangolins have small conical heads, reduced or absent outer ears, elongate bodies tapering to a stout tail.

• They are easily recognised by the coats of overlapping scales which protect their heads, bodies and the outer surfaces of their limbs and tails.

• They curl up in a ball when alarmed to protect their scale-less, hairy undersides. The name pangolin means ‘one who rolls up’ in Malay.

• Pangolins’ limbs are short terminating in five clawed digits; the three middle claws on the fore feet are long and curved.

• The claws are used to dig for food. Their tails are used as weapons - to thrash and wound predators. The scales also wound attackers.

• Males use their claws for fighting and defense.

• The female usually has one offspring which she carries on her tail.

• Arboreal pangolins carry the young from soon after birth.

• Terrestrial pangolins are born underground and are not carried on their mothers’ tails until they are 2 -4 weeks old.

Food

• All species of pangolins are highly adapted to obtaining and digesting a diet of termites and ants.

• The ingested ants and termites are ground up with sand in a specialised horny stomach.

• The large claws are used to dig into nests of ground termites and ants and this species may eat 200,000 insects in a night.

• On this diet, the Giant pangolin can reach as much as 30 kg in weight.

Economic Importance

• Used as food in some countries and • Their body parts are source of valuable material

source of medicine or drug.

• Malayan pangolins are hunted for their skins, scales, and meat.

• Their parts are used for medicinal purposes

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