For the primary time this century, a large pangolin proved it nonetheless exists in Senegal by strolling previous a path cam in Niokolo-Koba Nationwide Park (NKNP). The final time wildlife officers captured this extremely uncommon and endangered African animal on digicam was in 1999.
A newly revealed analysis paper by Mouhamadou Mody Ndiaye and different scientists within the African Journal of Ecology particulars the discover. “Following a big camera-trap survey carried out in NKNP in 2023, we current photographic proof that big pangolins are nonetheless current within the park,” researchers write within the summary.
The researchers say the scientific group lacks detailed data about pangolin distribution in West Africa. As a result of they lack proof these animals nonetheless exist in sure areas of their historic vary on the African continent, scientists suspect/concern many native extinctions.
Nevertheless, big pangolins aren’t extinct in Senegal, because of the photographic proof caught on digicam in Senegal’s Niokolo-Koba Nationwide Park again in March 2023 (as reported by NewScientist). “Such rediscoveries not solely underscore the significance of systematic biodiversity inventories, but additionally the vital worth of West Africa’s massive protected areas,” the researchers say.
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The Plight of the Pangolins
Big floor pangolins are the biggest pangolin species, and the IUCN lists them as endangered. People hunt pangolins for his or her meat and their scales, which locals in Africa use in conventional medication. Pangolins are additionally illegally trafficked to and inside Asia to be used in conventional medication. Habitat loss additional threatens all eight pangolin species throughout Africa and Asia. (4 pangolin species stay in Africa and 4 stay in Asia.)
Pangolins are distinctive scaled mammals that may roll up right into a ball to defend themselves in opposition to predators. These secretive animals eat bugs like ants and termites. They use their lengthy entrance claws to dig for meals and their lengthy tongues to slurp up creepy-crawlies. Most species are nocturnal.
Take a look at some uncommon footage of untamed big pangolins right here:
