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Pholidota is an order of placental mammals in the Pholidotamorpha clade. A member of this order is called a pholidotan or a pangolin. They are distributed throughout Africa, the Indian subcontinent and southeast Asia, and are usually found in habitats such as savannas, forests, grasslands and shrublands. Pholidotans range in size from the giant pangolin, at 30 kg (66 lb) and 68 cm (27 in) in length, to the tree pangolin, at only 2.3 kg (5.1 lb) and 34 cm (13 in) in length. They have large, hardened, keratin scales which cover their skin, and long claws which they use for digging or climbing trees. Most species are nocturnal and feed primarily on ants and termites, though other insects may also be taken. Despite only a few pholidotans having population estimates, all eight species are classified as threatened by the IUCN Red List, with three being classified as critically endangered, largely due to intensive poaching of their keratin scales.

The eight extant species of Pholidota are assigned to the family Manidae which is split into three genera within three subfamilies: Maninae (Asian pangolins), Phatagininae (African tree pangolins) and Smutsiinae (African ground pangolins). A ninth species, Manis mysteria, was proposed in 2023, though its status as valid taxa remains uncertain. Around a dozen extinct prehistoric pholidotan species have been described; however, due to ongoing research the exact categorization and number is not fixed.

Conventions

Conservation status codes listed follow the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. Range maps are provided where possible; if unavailable, a description of the species will instead be provided. All extinct species and subspecies listed alongside extant species went extinct in prehistoric times, and are indicated by dagger symbol "†". Population figures are rounded to the nearest hundred.

Classification

The Pholidota order is composed of eight extant species belonging to three genera in three subfamilies. This does not include extinct species or hybrid animals.

• Family Manidae
  • Subfamily Maninae
    • Genus: Manis (Asian pangolins): four species
  • Subfamily Phatagininae
    • Genus: Phataginus (African tree pangolins): two species
  • Subfamily Smutsiinae
    • Genus: Smutsia (African ground pangolins): two species

Pholidotans

The following classification is based on the taxonomy described by the reference work Mammal Species of the World (2005), with augmentation by generally accepted proposals made since using molecular phylogenetic analysis, as supported by the IUCN Red List.

Subfamily Maninae

Genus Manis – Linnaeus, 1758 – four species

Common name	Scientific name and subspecies	Range	Size and ecology	IUCN status and estimated population
Indian pangolin	M. crassicaudata E. Geoffroy, 1803	Indian subcontinent (current range in blue)	Size: 51–75 cm (20–30 in) long, with a 33 to 47 cm (13 to 19 in) long tail and a weight of 10–16 kg (22–35 lb) Habitat: Savanna, forest, grassland and shrubland Diet: Myrmecophagous; eats ants and termites	EN  unknown
Chinese pangolin	M. pentadactyla Linnaeus, 1758 Three subspecies M. p. auritus M. p. pusilla M. p. pentadactyla (Taiwanese pangolin)	Southeast Asia (current range in green)	Size: 40–58 cm (16–23 in) long, with a 25–38 cm (9.8–15.0 in) long tail and a weight of 2.5–7 kg (5.5–15.4 lb) Habitat: Forest, shrubland and grassland Diet: Eats insects such as ants and termites	CR  10,000
Philippine pangolin	M. culionensis de Elera, 1895	Southeast Asia (current range in brown)	Size: 45–54 cm (18–21 in) long, with a 39–50 cm (15–20 in) long tail and a weight of 2.5–8 kg (5.5–17.6 lb) Habitat: Forest, shrubland, and artificial habitats Diet: Preys exclusively on ant and termite species	CR  unknown
Sunda pangolin	M. javanica Desmarest, 1822	Southeast Asia (current range in green)	Size: 40–65 cm (16–26 in) long, with a 35–58 cm (14–23 in) long tail and a weight of 3–10 kg (6.6–22.0 lb) Habitat: Forests, shrublands, artificial terrestrial and aquatic habitats, and marine habitats Diet: Primarily consume ants and their larvae, bee pupas, crickets, flies and termites	CR  unknown

Subfamily Phatagininae

Genus Phataginus – Linnaeus, 1766 – two species

Common name	Scientific name and subspecies	Range	Size and ecology	IUCN status and estimated population
Long-tailed pangolin	P. tetradactyla Linnaeus, 1766	Central and West Africa (current range in green-brown)	Size: 30–40 cm (12–16 in) long, with a 55–70 cm (22–28 in) long tail and a weight of 2–3.5 kg (4.4–7.7 lb) Habitat: Forest, savanna, and artificial habitats Diet: Feeds on ants and termites	VU  unknown
Tree pangolin	P. tricuspis (Rafinesque, 1821)	Central and West Africa (current range in brown)	Size: 25–43 cm (9.8–16.9 in) long, with a 35–62 cm (14–24 in) long tail and a weight of 1.6–3 kg (3.5–6.6 lb) Habitat: Forest, savanna, and artificial habitats Diet: Feeds on ants and termites	EN  unknown

Subfamily Smutsiinae

Genus Smutsia – Gray, 1865 – two species

Common name	Scientific name and subspecies	Range	Size and ecology	IUCN status and estimated population
Giant pangolin	S. gigantea Illiger, 1815	Central and East Africa (current range in light brown)	Size: 67–81 cm (26–32 in) long, with a 58–68 cm (23–27 in) long tail and a weight of 30 kg (66 lb) Habitat: Forest and savanna Diet: Eats mainly ants and termites, and sometimes other insects	EN  unknown
Ground pangolin	S. temminckii (Smuts, 1832)	Southern, East and North Africa (current range in green)	Size: 45–55 cm (18–22 in) long, with a 40–52 cm (16–20 in) long tail and a weight of 5–20 kg (11–44 lb) Habitat: Forest, savanna and grassland Diet: Myrmecophagous; preys primarily on ants and termites	VU  16,300–24,000 in South Africa

Prehistoric pholidotans

In addition to extant species, multiple extinct species have been described and classified into Pholidota. They are placed into three extinct families: Eomanidae, Patriomanidae and Eurotamandua, as well as the extant family Manidae. The genus Necromanis on the other hand, is placed as incertae sedis within the pholidotid superfamily Manoidea, together with the families Manidae and Patriomanidae. Euromanis, a genus described in 2009, is not placed under any family and is instead assigned to the Pholidota order. The extinct species listed here are mainly based off the 2019 reference work Pangolins: Science, Society and Conservation, unless otherwise cited. Where available, the temporal range of each species will be given in millions of years before the present time (mya). This list will only contain taxa that went extinct during prehistoric times.

Genus Euromanis – Gaudin, 2009 – 1 species

Species name	Image	Geological range	Biogeography
Euromanis krebsi Storch & Martin, 1994		Eocene PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N	Messel Pit in Germany

Superfamily Manoidea

Family Patriomanidae

Family Eurotamanduidae

Genus Eurotamandua – Storch, 1981 – 1 species

Species name	Image	Geological range	Biogeography
Eurotamandua joresi Storch, 1981		Eocene PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N	Messel Pit in Germany

Family Eomanidae

Genus Eomanis – Storch, 1978 – 1 species

Species name	Image	Geological range	Biogeography
Eomanis waldi Storch, 1978		Eocene PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N	Messel Pit in Germany

Family Manidae

See also

• Pholidotamorpha
• Pangolin trade

Notes

1. This only includes extinct Manis species
2. This only includes extinct Smutsia species

References

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2. ^ Chernasky, Amy; Motis, Anna; Burgin, Connor, eds. (2023). All the Mammals of the World. Lynx Nature Books. pp. 638–639. ISBN 978-84-16728-66-4.
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External links

Media related to Manidae at Wikimedia Commons

• Pangolins
• Lists of animal species
• Lists of placental mammals