Points

60

per confirmed sighting

VulnerableLegendary
mammals • Manidae

Ground Pangolin.

G

Smutsia temminckii

A nocturnal, scale-covered ant eater and the most trafficked wild mammal in the world.

Category

mammals

Family

Manidae

Size

50–100 cm, 5–18 kg

Points

60 pts

Log a sighting

A closer look

Field notes for spotting, identifying and understanding ground pangolin in its natural range.

Overview

A nocturnal, scale-covered ant eater and the most trafficked wild mammal in the world.

How to identify it

Overlapping brown keratin scales, small head, walks on hind legs with tail counterbalanced.

Habitat

EltonTraits foraging-stratum classification: ground-dwelling/terrestrial (including aquatic ground-associated coding).

Diet

Ants and termites

Behaviour

—

When to look

EltonTraits activity classification: nocturnal.

Where to see it

South Africa flagSouth AfricaNamibia flagNamibiaBotswana flagBotswanaZimbabwe flagZimbabweZambia flagZambiaMozambique flagMozambiqueEswatini flagEswatiniMalawi flagMalawiAngola flagAngola
  • Kruger National ParkZA
  • Kgalagadi Transfrontier ParkZA
  • Hwange National ParkZW

Safety and etiquette

Never publish a location. Report any sighting of trafficking to park authorities.

Verification and sources

1500 verified species across ten Southern African countries. Spotted an error? Tell us through community guidelines.