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Pholidota

File:Eupholidota.jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons

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Pholidota

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Also known as pangolins, scaly anteaters, Lepidota, Manides, Maniformes, Manitheria, Neomanida, Nomarthra

Pangolins, also called scaly anteaters, are mammals of the order Pholidota (). The one extant family, the Manidae, has three genera: Manis, Phataginus, and Smutsia. Manis comprises five species found in Asia, while Phataginus and Smutsia include two species each, all found in sub-Saharan Africa. These species range in size from . Several extinct pangolin species are also known. In September 2023, a ninth species was reported, although it is only known from confiscated scales and has never been observed in the wild.

AI overview

Pholidota is the scientific order that includes pangolins, or scaly anteaters, which are mammals found in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa that range widely in size. These animals matter because they represent a distinct group of mammals with unique characteristics, though they remain poorly understood, as evidenced by the recent discovery of a ninth species known only from confiscated scales and never observed in the wild.

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

Species

species

FamilyOrchidaceae
Observations336

via · Kew POWO

Museum specimens

Specimen records
228
With media
179
Family
Orchidaceae
Collections
CM, CAS, AMES, GH
Recorded in
United States, China, Malaysia
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Research

648 papers

via PubMed

~24 min read

Encyclopedic overview

21 sections
Contents
  • Etymology
  • Description
  • Behaviour
  • Diet
  • Reproduction
  • Classification and phylogeny
  • Taxonomy
  • Summary of extant species
  • Phylogeny
  • Among placentals
  • Among Manidae
  • Threats
  • Virology
  • COVID-19 infection
  • ''Pestivirus'' and ''Coltivirus''
  • Folk medicine
  • Conservation
  • Taiwan
  • See also
  • References
  • External links

Pangolins, also called scaly anteaters, are mammals of the order Pholidota (). The one extant family, the Manidae, has three genera: Manis, Phataginus, and Smutsia. Manis comprises five species found in Asia, while Phataginus and Smutsia include two species each, all found in sub-Saharan Africa. These species range in size from . Several extinct pangolin species are also known. In September 2023, a ninth species was reported, although it is only known from confiscated scales and has never been observed in the wild.

Pangolins have large, protective keratin scales, covering their skin. Depending on the species, they live in hollow trees or burrows. Pangolins are nocturnal, and their diet consists of mainly ants and termites, which they capture using their long tongues. They tend to be solitary animals, meeting only to mate and produce a litter of one to three offspring, which they raise for about two years.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Pholidota” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

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