Haiguo Dialog: Let’s care for pangolins

You know? Pangolins may not look cool, but they play a key role in protecting forest.

In the sixth talk, we invited Zhang Mingxia, zoological lecturer at Guangxi Normal University. The talk focused on pangolins and biodiversity conservation.

Q: How many kinds of pangolins are there in Yunnan? What's the distribution?

A: The number of pangolin species in Yunnan is not sure for there is no definite field investigation.But based on existing studies, Yunnan houses the Chinese pangolin, the Malayan pangolin and the Indian pangolin. Indian pangolins mainly live in the northwest of the province, while Chinese and Malayan are seen in south Yunnan like Xishuangbanna.

Q: How do pangolins make babies and how does the pangolin mom rear her kids?

A: Pangolins give birth to babies only once a year. In general, the pregnancy lasts for five months though some zoologists suggested that it should be as long as one year. A recent Taiwan study showed the pangolin mother can suspend implantation of a conceived egg, thus prolonging the pregnancy. Following the birth-giving, the mom will take care of the baby for six month, and then the cub will leave the mother and live alone.

Q: What do you think is the significance of COP15 in protecting pangolins?

A: Convening COP15 enhances the protection of pangolins. In fact, China has attached great importance to protecting the species. In the latest version of Chinese Pharmacopoeia (2020), shells of the pangolin no longer appear. Also in the same year, pangolins were upgraded as an A-level animal under state protection in China.   

By gateway reporters