Pangolin Swimming and Water Behaviour
Pangolins are among the most enigmatic mammals on Earth, and their relationship with water adds yet another layer of complexity to their biology. While most people associate pangolins with dry savanna landscapes or dense forest floors, these scale-covered creatures are capable swimmers, and their water-related behaviours serve important ecological and physiological functions. Understanding how pangolins interact with water can inform conservation strategies across Africa, including in South Africa where the Temminck's ground pangolin (Smutsia temminckii) roams semi-arid bushveld.
Can Pangolins Swim?
The short answer is yes. Pangolins are competent swimmers despite their heavily armoured exterior. Their large, overlapping keratin scales might appear to be a disadvantage in water, but pangolins instinctively inflate their stomachs with air, which increases buoyancy and allows them to stay afloat with relatively little effort. They use a paddling motion with their powerful forelimbs to propel themselves across water bodies.
Field observations across sub-Saharan Africa have documented pangolins crossing rivers and streams during their nightly forays. In areas where suitable foraging habitat is fragmented by watercourses, the ability to swim can be the difference between surviving and starving. A pangolin that cannot cross a river may be cut off from essential termite mounds and ant colonies that form the core of its diet.
The Role of Air Inflation
The mechanism by which pangolins achieve buoyancy is particularly interesting. Before entering water, pangolins appear to gulp air, swelling their stomachs to act as a natural flotation device. This behaviour has been observed in captive pangolins placed in pools as part of rehabilitation assessments, and it mirrors techniques seen in other semi-aquatic mammals. The inflation is not controlled consciously in the way a diver might hold breath, but appears to be a reflexive response to water immersion.
Water as a Defensive Resource
Beyond locomotion, pangolins use water strategically for defence. When threatened, a pangolin's primary response is to curl into a tight ball, relying on its scales to protect soft tissue. However, researchers have noted that pangolins near water sources may use the water itself as a secondary escape route, dropping into streams or pools when predators such as leopards or lions approach. The pursuit of a curled pangolin into a river poses significant risks to most land predators, making water a surprisingly effective refuge.
Soaking and Parasite Control
Another documented water behaviour involves deliberate soaking. Pangolins have been observed standing in shallow water or mud wallows for extended periods. This behaviour is thought to serve several functions. First, it may help dislodge ectoparasites such as ticks that accumulate beneath the scales. Unlike many mammals, pangolins cannot groom themselves effectively with their claws, and their scales create numerous concealed spaces where parasites can hide. Water immersion may flush or suffocate ticks and mites that would otherwise be difficult to remove.
Second, soaking may provide thermoregulatory benefits. Pangolins have poor thermoregulation compared to most mammals. Their low metabolic rate and limited capacity for sweating mean that they are vulnerable to heat stress in the African summer. Wading into cool water during the hottest parts of the night, or sheltering near moist soil during the day, may help them avoid dangerous body temperature spikes.
Drinking Behaviour and Hydration
Pangolins obtain moisture from multiple sources. Much of their hydration comes from the prey they consume: termites and ants have a high moisture content, and a foraging pangolin consuming thousands of insects per night absorbs considerable water as a byproduct. However, pangolins do drink directly from water sources, particularly during dry seasons when prey moisture content decreases and ambient temperatures rise.
In South Africa's Limpopo and North West provinces, tracking studies using GPS-fitted pangolins have shown that individuals often include water points within their home ranges. Waterholes and seasonal pans feature regularly in pangolin movement corridors, suggesting that access to surface water is a component of habitat quality rather than an incidental feature.
Seasonal Patterns in Water-Seeking Behaviour
Water-seeking behaviour intensifies during the dry winter months in southern Africa, roughly May through August. During this period, surface water becomes scarce and foraging distances increase. Pangolins tracked in the Limpopo Valley have shown range expansions during drought years, with individuals travelling significantly further from their core territories to reach both food and water. This expansion increases the risk of road crossings, wire snare encounters, and human contact, all of which are major threats to pangolin survival.
Implications for Rehabilitation and Captive Care
Understanding pangolin water behaviour has direct applications in rehabilitation settings. Centres such as the Johannesburg Wildlife Veterinary Hospital and various Limpopo-based facilities that treat rescued pangolins now incorporate water access into enclosure design. Shallow bathing areas allow recovering pangolins to soak naturally, which appears to reduce stress behaviours and support parasite management without the use of chemical treatments that can harm these sensitive animals.
Hydration monitoring is also a critical concern in captive care. Pangolins that refuse to eat will rapidly become dehydrated, and field-realistic water sources presented in appropriate ways, such as shallow pans of clean water at ground level, can encourage both drinking and exploratory behaviour that signals a healthy recovery trajectory.
Water Quality and Habitat Degradation
As agricultural and industrial activity expands across pangolin range states, water quality in rivers and pans is increasingly compromised by pesticide runoff, sediment, and contamination. For pangolins, this poses a dual risk. Contaminated water consumed directly may cause toxicity, and insects foraged near polluted water bodies may carry chemical residues that accumulate in pangolins over time. Conservation planners in South Africa's Waterberg and Greater Kruger landscapes are increasingly factoring water quality into habitat assessments for pangolin populations.
Conclusion
Pangolin water behaviour is far richer and more purposeful than the casual observer might expect. From deliberate swimming across rivers to strategic soaking for parasite control and thermoregulation, pangolins demonstrate a nuanced relationship with water that reflects millions of years of evolutionary adaptation. Protecting water resources within pangolin habitats is not merely an environmental nicety; it is a concrete conservation priority that directly affects the survival and reproductive success of one of Africa's most vulnerable mammals.