![]() It has cousins in China, India and Malaysia, as well as two small tree-climbing relatives and a big brother – the giant pangolin – in Africa. The Southern African ground pangolin is one of a family of nine. They are perfectly adapted to their environment and have been around for forty million years, which puts the 0,4 million of Homo sapiens nicely into perspective. Pangolins are solitary foragers and predominantly nocturnal. Their insect prey is swallowed directly into the muscular stomach, where it’s ground up with the help of grit and sand simultaneously ingested. ![]() Pangolins have no teeth, but in their place are narrow raised ridges of bone. Their long, curved front claws are sharp and used to open ant nests during feeding. They are secretive animals that spend up to twenty hours a day underground, usually in abandoned aardvark burrows. Under ideal conditions, adult males can reach a length of more than a metre and weigh up to eighteen kilograms. The head is tiny and the muzzle tapers to a point with smaller scales continuing along the snout. They walk on their hind legs, using their tails for balance. The scales are made of fused hair, similar to rhino horn or human fingernails. Their bodies are covered in an armour of heavy brown scales, making them appear more dinosaur than mammal. Southern African ground pangolins "Smutsia temminckii" are strange, prehistoric-looking creatures. ©Nigel DennisPangolin (Smutsia temminckii). There’s a good reason why no-one tracks them.’ ‘Ja, I know, but still-’ Pangolin Facts ‘They’re supposed to be just about impossible to see. ‘I should be able to get this little guy.’ ‘Don’t cut yourself up about it,’ I said. The stakeout was a big let-down, and Jolyon appeared visibly disappointed. Perhaps it had heard us and decided to lie doggo. Maybe the pangolin had foraged well the day before and didn’t need to emerge that night. Was our quarry really down there, or had it slipped out during a moment of inattention? Eventually, in the early hours of the morning, we gave up. Hours dragged by and the sand grew uncomfortable. The moon unpicked itself from a thorn tree. Lightning flashed on the horizon, too far away to offer any thunder. A full moon rose, drenching us in pseudo-sunlight.Ī wildebeest snorted close by. We remained completely silent, willing the creature to poke its nose above ground. Jolyon and I found comfortable patches of sand near the mouth of the burrow. ![]() Supper finished, we went to relieve William. ©Nigel DennisBarking gecko emerge from a burrow at sunset. The rest of my stay would be focused exclusively on finding a pangolin. Jolyon and William agreed to give it a concerted and single-minded bash. ‘However, before you get your hopes up, be aware that I’ve only seen five in all the years I’ve worked here.’ Five is a lot more than most field guides see in a lifetime. ‘As a matter of fact, Tswalu is probably the best place in South Africa to find one,’ said Jolyon. Top-end safari lodges such as Tswalu pride themselves on catering to a guest’s every need, no matter how outlandish or demanding. Needless to say, the expression on his face suggested he’d accidentally swallowed a shongololo. So I set Jolyon the task of bagging a pangolin. But the real prize would be to find one for myself in the wild without the help of telemetry. He had attached transmitters to a few of these creatures, and was tracking them on a nightly basis. The plan was to join a young zoologist doing research for his Masters.
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