Indo-Burmese pangolin:
Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) scientists recently discovered a pangolin species — the Indo-Burmese pangolin (Manis indoburmanica) — in Arunachal Pradesh.
- Manis indoburmanica is a new species of pangolin genetically distinct from Chinese (Manis pentadactyla) and Indian (Manis crassicaudata) pangolins found in India.
- The species has been named Indo-Burmese pangolin (Manis indoburmanica).
- Genetic analysis has shown that the Indo-Burmese pangolin is 8% different from the Chinese pangolin.
- The species diverged from the Chinese pangolin around 3.4 million years ago, probably owing to climatic and geological changes during the Pliocene and Pleistocene epochs.
- The species is believed to inhabit parts of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, and potentially extend into Nepal, Bhutan, and Myanmar.
- It is found at altitudes ranging from 180 to 1830 meters above sea level and has dark brown and olive-brown scales with a pinkish face, typical of other Asian pangolins.
- Pangolins are mammals that belong to the family Manidae and are found in Africa and Asia.
- There are eight different species of pangolins: four in Africa and four in Asia.
- They are unique because they are the only mammals covered in large, protective keratin scales, which they use as armour, curling up into a ball when threatened by predators.
