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Order : PHOLIDOTA
Family : Manidae
Species : Manis culionensis
Head-body length : Up to 90 cm
Tail length : Up to 88 cm
Weight : up to 7.5 kg
The rare and critically endangered Palawan Pangolin, also
known as Balintong or Philippine Pangolin, has long been treated as a
separate species from the Sunda Pangolin
Manis javanica, to which it is closely related. Its taxonomic
status has been reaffirmed by modern sequencing studies (Gaubert et al,
2018).
This species only occurs in the southwest of the Philippines, ranging from
the long, narrow island of Palawan to neighbouring small
island groups and the Calamian Islands to the northeast.
It inhabits primary and secondary lowland forest, where known highest
population densities occur, but it has also been recorded in grassland
mosaics, agricultural areas, coastal forest and near mangrove (Schoppe et
al, 2019 [IUCN]).
As with other pangolins from Southeast Asia, it is solitary and mainly
nocturnal in habits, and is adapted to both terrestrial and arboreal
activity. By day it hides in earth burrows, among large rocks and in tree
holes.
Along with the other seven species of pangolin which occur in Africa, India and Southeast Asia,
the Palawan Pangolin is overexploited, mainly for its scales which are used as
traditional medicine in countries such as China and Vietnam. Despite
national and international regulations outlawing trade in the Palawan
Pangolin, significant poaching persists (Sy & Krishnasamy, 2020).
Figs 1 and 2 : These two pangolins were rescued from the illegal wildlife
trade and were released into lowland forest habitats. Photos thanks to Emerson Y. Sy.
Fig 3 : Human-impacted forest in Barangay Tagabinet, Palawan, Philippines.
References : M1
Gaubert, P., Antunes, A., Meng, H., Miao, L., Peigné, S., Justy, F., ... &
Verheyen, E. (2018). The complete phylogeny of pangolins: scaling up
resources for the molecular tracing of the most trafficked mammals on earth.
Journal of Heredity, 109(4), 347-359.
Schoppe, S., Katsis, L. & Lagrada, L. (2019). Manis culionensis. The
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2019:
Sy, E. Y & Krishnasamy, K. (2020). Endangered by Trade: The Ongoing
Illegal Pangolin Trade in the Philippines. TRAFFIC, Southeast Asia Regional
Office, Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia. |
