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938 Featured Specimen
Ground pangolin

Details

Ground pangolin

Smutsia temminckii

Size
0.7–1.1 m · 5–15 kg
Diet
Carnivore
Activity
Nocturnal
Sociality
Solitary
Lifespan

Ground pangolin is a mammal associated with savannas and grasslands. It is carnivorous and usually solitary. Habitat change and human pressure make conservation attention important.

Range

Habitat range map
Native range Occasional / Transient
AfrotropicalAfrotropicalAfrotropicalAfrotropical

Map: Ecoregions 2017 © RESOLVE (CC BY 4.0) · Natural Earth (PD)

Details

Habitat

Its range is represented here by the Afrotropics, where it uses savannas and grasslands. Mobile species may shift habitat use with season, breeding sites, or food availability.

Appearance

Typical length 70-110 cm, weight 5 kg-15 kg. It has a small agile rodent-like build, with proportions shaped by its habitat and mode of movement.

Behavior

It is mostly active at night and usually solitary. Spacing, group size, and visibility can change with season, feeding conditions, and breeding activity.

Feeding

It is carnivorous. Food choice and foraging style are tied to life in savannas and grasslands, so movements often follow available food resources.

Reproduction

As a mammal, it gives birth to live young, and the mother nurses them in cover or within the social group.

Notes

Recorded scientifically as Smutsia temminckii. Habitat change and human pressure make conservation attention important. In this guide, size, habitat, and activity pattern are useful first clues for recognition.