Smutsia/Manis gigantea
Kakakuona (Swahili), Lugave (Luganda)

Conservation status

Endangered. Pangolins are regarded as a delicacy in some Asian and African countries. In addition, pangolin scales — like rhino horn — are believed to have healing properties. For this reason, pangolins are among the world’s most frequently poached and illegally traded mammals.

Habitat

Tropical rainforests, riparian forests, woodland savannahs

Biology

These solitary animals feed on ants and termites, breaking open the mounds with their claws and extracting the insects with their long, sticky tongue.