Chinese pangolin

Manis pentadactyla, the Chinese pangolin (Manidae), measures 40–58 cm in head-body length with a 25–38 cm tail and weighs 2–7 kg. About 18 rows of overlapping, grey-brown keratin scales cover the body; the animal is toothless and takes ants and termites with a long, extensible tongue, one juvenile stomach holding 25,803 ants and 812 termites. It ranges from Nepal and north-eastern India through southern China, including Hainan and Taiwan, to northern Indochina. IUCN assessed it as Critically Endangered in 2019, with declines exceeding 80% over three generations; it is in CITES Appendix I and is first-class protected in China.