[1] Pangolins include eight species of the Manidae family. They are distributed across Africa and Asia and are all used to an exclusive diet of ants and termites.

[2] They have an armour of large geometric keratin scales covering their body and tail. Their powerful arms and claws rip anthills and termite mounds open. A long, sticky tongue helps them catch insects.

[3] The animal’s various names capture aspects of its form and behaviour. The genus name Manis comes from the Latin word, manes, meaning “ghost” or “spirit of the dead” in Roman mythology. This hints at the creature’s nocturnal lifestyle.

[4] Its common name, pangolin, comes from the Malay word, pengguling, meaning “one who rolls”. This refers to the animal’s habit of rolling its body up when threatened.

[5] In Dutch apothecary Albertus Seba’s 1734 Thesaurus, the Sunda or Malayan pangolin originally referred only to the Southeast Asian Manis javanica. But the name soon came to be used for all species.

[6] In Chinese, its common name is 穿山甲, which approximately translates to “scaly animal that bores through the mountain”. In Chinese legend, pangolins are said to travel all around the world by going underground. This has come true in the real world, though not in a good way: pangolins are the most trafficked mammals worldwide.

[7] In China, pangolin meat is considered a delicacy and their blood is used as a healing tonic. Their greatest threat lies in the belief that their scales have medicinal value in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM).

[8] A 1938 article in the British scientific journal Nature described how “dried scales are roasted, ashed, cooked in oil, butter, vinegar, boy’s urine, or roasted with earth or oyster-shells, to cure a variety of ills”, including helping to congeal blood and promote lactation.

[9] Fortunately, China in 2020 removed pangolin scales from its list of ingredients approved for use in TCM. But trafficking, together with habitat loss, remains a problem and has led to the Chinese pangolin (Manis pentadactyla) and Sunda/Malayan pangolin becoming critically endangered, with the other Asian and African species endangered and vulnerable, respectively.
Source: South China Morning Post, February 20

Questions

1. In paragraph 1, what do pangolins eat other than ants and termites?

2. Paragraph 2 describes the animal’s ...
A. physical appearance and abilities.
B. personality and diet.
C. habitat and physical appearance.
D. diet and abilities.

3. Find a word in paragraph 3 that means “active at night”.

4. According to paragraph 4, the pangolin’s name is inspired by its ...
A. shape.
B. size.
C. behaviour.
D. all of the above

5. What did traditional stories in China say about pangolins, according to paragraph 6?

6. Decide whether the following statements are True, False or the information is Not Given in paragraphs 7 and 8. Blacken ONE circle only for each statement. (4 marks)
(i) Pangolin blood is thought to be poisonous.
(ii) Parts of the pangolin were used in traditional Chinese medicine.
(iii) The Nature article described a way of cooking pangolin for an everyday meal.
(iv) Pangolin meat is more expensive than shark fin.

7. In paragraph 9, what did the Chinese government do to protect pangolins?

8. List TWO reasons mentioned in paragraph 9 that explain why the Chinese and Sunda/Malayan pangolin are critically endangered. (2 marks)

9. Which pangolin species is considered vulnerable according to paragraph 9?

Pangolins are known for their habit of rolling up when threatened. Photo: Shutterstock

Answers

1. nothing / They only eat ants and termites.
2. A
3. nocturnal
4. C
5. They travel all around the world underground.
6. (i) F; (ii) T; (iii) F; (iv) NG
7. It removed pangolin scales from its list of ingredients approved for use in TCM.
8. trafficking and habitat loss
9. the African pangolin

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