All 8 Pangolin Species: A Complete Identification Guide

Most people think of "the pangolin" as a single animal. In reality there are eight distinct species, split evenly between Asia and Africa, and they differ enormously in size, habitat, behaviour, and how close they are to disappearing. Every one of them is threatened with extinction, but their individual stories, and the specific pressures each faces, are surprisingly varied.

This guide walks through all eight species with the key facts you need to tell them apart: where they live, how big they are, whether they climb trees or stay on the ground, and where each one stands on the IUCN Red List.

Two Continents, Eight Species

Pangolins belong to the order Pholidota and are the only living mammals covered in true keratin scales. The eight species are divided into three genera across Asia and Africa. All are solitary, nocturnal, and feed almost exclusively on ants and termites.

The Four Asian Species

1. Chinese Pangolin (Manis pentadactyla)

IUCN Status: Critically Endangered. Found historically across southern China, Taiwan, northern mainland Southeast Asia, and into the eastern Himalayas, the Chinese pangolin has suffered catastrophic population declines. It is a relatively small, ground-dwelling species that also climbs well. Its range has contracted sharply, and it is now rarely encountered in areas where it was once common. Decades of intense hunting for its scales and meat have made it one of the most imperilled pangolins on Earth.

2. Sunda Pangolin (Manis javanica)

IUCN Status: Critically Endangered. Also called the Malayan pangolin, this species ranges across Southeast Asia, including Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, and Myanmar. It is a strong climber with a long prehensile tail and is often found in both primary and secondary forests. The Sunda pangolin is heavily targeted by trafficking networks supplying both domestic and international demand, and large-scale seizures of Sunda pangolin scales are regularly reported.

3. Indian Pangolin (Manis crassicaudata)

IUCN Status: Endangered. The Indian pangolin is found across the Indian subcontinent, including India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and parts of Bangladesh and Nepal. It is one of the larger Asian species, with a stout body and relatively thick scales. Primarily terrestrial, it excavates deep burrows and is adapted to a range of habitats from grasslands to degraded forests. Poaching pressure has intensified as Asian pangolin populations elsewhere have declined and traffickers have expanded their sourcing.

4. Philippine Pangolin (Manis culionensis)

IUCN Status: Critically Endangered. This species is found only in the Palawan island group in the western Philippines, making it among the most range-restricted pangolins. It is arboreal and nocturnal, and its island isolation makes it acutely vulnerable to habitat loss and hunting. The Philippine pangolin was only recognised as a distinct species relatively recently, having previously been grouped with the Sunda pangolin. Its small, fragmented range means that even modest hunting pressure can cause rapid population decline.

The Four African Species

5. Giant Pangolin (Smutsia gigantea)

IUCN Status: Endangered. The largest of all pangolins by a significant margin, the giant pangolin is found in the forests and forest-savanna mosaics of West and Central Africa, extending into parts of East Africa. Males can exceed 30 kilograms. It is entirely terrestrial and walks on its hind legs, using its massive tail for balance, a distinctive gait seen in no other pangolin. It targets large ant and termite mounds, using powerful forelimbs to tear them open. Despite its size, it is elusive and poorly studied, and poaching for bushmeat and scales is a growing concern.

6. Temminck's Ground Pangolin (Smutsia temminckii)

IUCN Status: Vulnerable. The only pangolin found in eastern and southern Africa, Temminck's ground pangolin inhabits savannas, woodlands, and bushveld from Kenya and Tanzania down through Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, and into South Africa. It is the species most likely to be encountered in southern African countries and is the focus of significant conservation effort in the region, including rehabilitation and release programmes. Terrestrial and solitary, it shelters in burrows during the day and forages at night. Electrified fences, road mortality, and poaching all threaten this species.

7. White-bellied Tree Pangolin (Phataginus tricuspis)

IUCN Status: Endangered. The most widespread African pangolin, found across the tropical forests of West and Central Africa. As its name suggests, it is primarily arboreal, spending most of its life in trees. It is the smallest African species, light enough to navigate thin branches, and has a particularly long prehensile tail. Its three-cusped scale shape gives it its scientific name. Bushmeat hunting and, increasingly, international trafficking of its scales to Asian markets have driven significant declines.

8. Black-bellied Tree Pangolin (Phataginus tetradactyla)

IUCN Status: Vulnerable. Also called the long-tailed pangolin, this is the smallest pangolin species and the most specialised climber. It has the longest tail relative to body size of any mammal, using it as a fifth limb to navigate forest canopy in West and Central Africa. Its tail can have more vertebrae than almost any other mammal. Like the white-bellied tree pangolin, it faces threats from bushmeat hunting and the expanding international scale trade. Its canopy lifestyle makes it difficult to study, and population data remains limited.

At a Glance: All Eight Species

What All Pangolins Share

Despite their differences in size and habitat, all eight species share a remarkable set of traits. They are the only mammals with true scales. They are toothless, using extraordinarily long, sticky tongues to harvest ants and termites. They are solitary and nocturnal. They all curl into a ball when threatened, a defence that evolved against predators but is tragically ineffective against human poachers. And they all reproduce slowly, typically producing just one offspring per year, which means populations recover very slowly from declines.

Why Species-Level Knowledge Matters

Conservation cannot succeed if it treats all pangolins as one animal. The threats facing a tree-dwelling species in the Congo Basin are different from those facing a ground pangolin in the South African bushveld. Effective anti-poaching operations need to understand which species are in their area, what habitats they use, and what time of year they are most active. Breeding and rehabilitation programmes must be species-specific, because diet, behaviour, and environmental needs vary significantly. Even the technology used to monitor pangolins must be adapted to whether the target species lives in a tree canopy or a savanna burrow.

Knowing the eight species is not academic trivia. It is the foundation of every conservation decision that follows.