1.3 The Pangolin or scally anteater shown in diagram 1 below, is the common name for the
African and Asian mammal comprising the order Pholidota, characterized by a long and narrow snout,
no teeth, a long tongue used to capture ants and termites, short and powerful limbs, a long tail, and
a unique covering of large, overlapping body scales. There is only one extant family (Manidae) and
one genus (Manis) of pangolins, comprising seven or eight species.
Diagram 1: Pangolin
Scientific classification
Domain: Eukarya
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Pholidota
Family: Manidae
Genus: Manis
Species: temminckii
1.3.1 Explain why the Pangolin is classified in the domain Eukarya. (2)
1.3.2 Give the above information on the classification of the Pangolin, write its scientific name.
(3)
1.3.3 Discuss only three (3) disadvantages of using common names such Pangolin or scally anteater.
(6)
Answers
Answer:
Explanation:
There are eight species of pangolin — Chinese pangolin, Indian pangolin, Sunda pangolin, Philippine pango-lin, giant pangolin, white-bellied pangolin, black-bellied pangolin and Temminck’s ground pangolin — half of them native to Asia and the others to Africa. Though they resemble anteaters and armadillos, they're actually more closely related to cats and dogs, even though they're entirely toothless. These solitary animals spend their nights toodling around, sniffing out ant mounds with their sensitive noses, using their long, sticky tongues to slurp up the insects. A pangolin’s thin, flexible tongue is truly a wonder — often longer than the animal’s entire body, when it’s not being used, they keep it coiled up in a little chamber between their last set of ribs and their pelvis. Some pangolin species also consume stones (called gastroliths) and grit to help break down the prey in their stomachs.
Pangolins are normally pretty slow (although they can put on surprising bursts of speed when necessary) and have poor eyesight, but until they found themselves in the crosshairs of Earth's only superpredator, this didn't really matter because they have a couple of good defense strategies. For instance, if a predator takes an interest in a pangolin, the pangolin might be able to swim out of danger, or the predator could potentially get a facefull of the nasty-smelling substance pangolins use to mark their territories.
However, the best weapon a pangolin has is that it can turn itself into a really frustrating puzzle box. Pangolins are protected by an armor of thick keratin scales so tough that they can withstand a lion attack — they just roll up in a little ball like a hedgehog, and they are capable of withstanding all manner of pummeling. In fact, pangolins are the only scaled mammals, and these keratin plates grow throughout the animal’s life much like hair — they’re constantly being filed down as the pangolin goes about its business, digging burrows and shimmying through tunnels. They’re not entirely covered in scales, however — their bellies are naked except for a smattering of fur.
Pangolin
A pangolin will defensively roll itself into a ball when threatened, making it almost indestructible.
STEPHENCDICKSON/WIKIMEDIA COMMONS (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Even though pangolins are unassuming and docile, several species are major players in their ecosystems. There’s still a lot we don't know about pangolin ecology, but they definitely keep populations of ants and termites under control. The different species prefer different types of habitat — some, like the black- and white-belled pangolins of Africa — are arboreal, so they use their long claws for climbing and use crooks and hollows of trees as hideouts and bedrooms. Other pangolin species spend their entire lives on the ground, digging burrows and foraging for insects. In fact, it’s their scratching and digging that makes them important members of their ecosystems — it aerates the soil (which promotes nutrient cycling). And pangolin burrows can provide shelter to lots of other animals — some are large enough for a human to crawl through, with chambers large enough for an adult human to stand up in!