The Taiwanese pangolin (Manis pentadactyla pentadactyla), also known as the Formosan pangolin, is a subspecies of the Chinese pangolin that is native to Taiwan. Its population has largely declined over the past few decades, mainly due to the threat of poaching and illegal trading of their valuable scales and meat.[2]
While they are considered to be more related to bears and cats, the Taiwanese pangolin is extremely similar in appearance to armadillos and anteaters. These mammals look like rodents of approximately 30 inches long, with brown hard scales covering the entire dorsal side of the body.[3] Its front claws are long and sharp, which allows for them to dig burrows in the ground.
Pangolins are generally solitary, nocturnal animals known to have elusive behavioral patterns.[2] Therefore, sightings of the Taiwanese pangolin in the wild are extremely rare, making it difficult for data to be collected.[4] The small population also contributes to the difficulty of field observations. They are fossorial animals, which means that they dig burrows underground. Most of the daytime is spent in these burrows, which can be used for resting, giving birth or nursing its offspring. These burrows are also known to be reused and shared among other individual pangolins.[4] The powerful forelimbs have adapted to help dig these burrows easily. Not only this, but their digging skills are also used for hunting insects (dominantly ants and termites). Pangolins utilize their sharp long claws to open their preys nests and stick its long sticky tongue to capture food.[2] Although they are usually on the ground or underground, they are also known to be good climbers as well.[3]
The Taiwanese pangolin can be found in a variety of environments in Taiwan, including but not limited to forests, bamboo forests, grasslands, and agricultural fields.[2]
The population of Taiwanese pangolins have been rapidly decreasing due to the high demand in the local medicine and meat market from 1950 to 1970. Additionally, many Taiwanese pangolins have been exported globally for its leather.[5] While it said to have mostly stopped today, some Taiwanese pangolins are also exported to China, as China is one of the biggest consumers of pangolin-products.[6] After the government's ban of commercial harvesting of Taiwanese pangolins, a slight increase in the population was observed. However, due to the lack of strict regulations, hunting of pangolins in Taiwan still persisted only now in the form of poaching and illegal trading. An estimate of more than 2000 pangolins were sold every year as part of illegal trading in the mid-1980s. It is reported that a significant decline in local consumption was only evident after the Taiwanese government established the Wildlife Conservation Act in 1989.[5]
Another factor that has led to the downfall of the Taiwanese pangolin population is the use of gin traps. Gin traps were commonly used by farmers in Taiwan for pest control or to hunt small animals. However, as there is no method of controlling its target, pangolins would frequently get caught in these traps. It is said that 50% of the 117 wild Taiwanese pangolins brought to the Endemic Species Research Institute in central Taiwan from 1993 to 2009 were injured due to these gin traps. The sale and use of gin traps in Taiwan were banned in 2011 under the Animal Protection Act and are not a major threat anymore.[5]
Taipei Zoo has held two conservation workshops in 2004 and 2017, in cooperation with the Forestry Bureau of Council of Agriculture, Endemic Species Research Institute, and the IUCN SSC Pangolin and Conservation Planning Specialist Groups. These so-called Pangolin Population and Habitat Viability Assessment (PHVA) workshops aimed to solidify conservation strategies and methods of prolonging Taiwanese pangolin survival. In the 2017 PHVA workshop, an elaborate 10-year plan named "the 2017-2027 National Conservation Strategy and Action Plan" was developed in order to achieve their goal of increasing the pangolin population. This plan involved more than 70 stakeholders from 13 different countries and consists of 5 main components. The components are as follows: status review, vision statement, goals, objectives, and actions. In short, through these 5 parts, the group of conservationists aim to assess current knowledge on the Taiwanese pangolin, define clear short and long-term goals for conservation, and finally work towards the goal through specific activities such as protection and breeding of the Taiwanese pangolin.[7]
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help) {{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help) The Taiwanese pangolin (Manis pentadactyla pentadactyla), also known as the Formosan pangolin, is a subspecies of the Chinese pangolin that is native to Taiwan. Its population has largely declined over the past few decades, mainly due to the threat of poaching and illegal trading of their valuable scales and meat.
台灣穿山甲（学名：Manis pentadactyla pentadactyla）又稱台灣鯪鯉、悶仔、土龜，是一種身上覆有鱗片的哺乳動物。該物種為穿山甲属中華穿山甲的一個亞種，也是台灣的一個特有亞種。目前，因棲地流失及人類過度捕食等因素，該物種已瀕臨絕滅。[1][2][3][4]
台灣穿山甲的前爪很大因此很有力，非常適合爬樹，但後腳因爪較小而不適於抓住樹幹，所以牠們會用尾巴代替後腳，用尾部的鱗片插入樹幹，因此不易滑落。身體以螺旋的方式向上攀爬，在樹枝則可倒掛，向下則以頭上腳下的方式倒退爬行。台灣穿山甲以舉尾蟻和白蟻為食，台灣穿山甲會用前爪挖開蟻巢，使螞蟻逃出，再用長舌頭舔食。[5]台灣穿山甲的舌頭具有有黏性的唾液，可以沾黏食物後再送進口中。當台灣穿山甲遇到危險時，會縮成球狀，讓掠食者沒辦法下手。[1][2][3]
全長75~95公分，體重約3~6.5公斤。全身布滿鱗甲。[1][2]
台灣中高海拔山區。[2]
在山坡上斜著挖地洞，洞口深度較淺，因此較容易見到洞底，洞口常堆著挖出來的廢土。覓食洞穴常在枯樹附近，可做為臨時休息或避敵之處。
洞口多在陡直山坡，周圍遮蔽少、排水佳，洞口深度較淺深，是長久居住的地洞。[2]
食物不能吃得太細緻，易有消化潰瘍出血症狀。台灣穿山甲因對自然生態系統依賴極大而難以適應人類圈養環境。[6]
IUCN宣布包含台灣穿山甲在內之多種穿山甲，已因全球人類飲食需求遭捕殺殆盡；穿山甲更因此成為全球走私量最大的野生物種之一。[11][12][13][9][14][15] 根據新聞媒體報導，台灣的穿山甲在早期皮革產業發達時遭大量屠殺，1年就捕殺將近6萬隻。 [16]其中，全球最大宗之消費地區為中國大陸及越南。[17][18]
東亞地區自古迷信食用穿山甲鱗片及其他部位可獲醫療保健效果。[19][20][21]但是，根據大陸地區各地政府機關表示，由於穿山甲售價高昂，販賣者往往將米粉糊、塗料、水泥、鎮靜劑、興奮劑和防腐劑等注入穿山甲體內以增加獲利。[22][23]
|dead-url=bot: unknown (帮助) |dead-url=bot: unknown (帮助) |dead-url=bot: unknown (帮助) |dead-url=bot: unknown (帮助) 台灣穿山甲（学名：Manis pentadactyla pentadactyla）又稱台灣鯪鯉、悶仔、土龜，是一種身上覆有鱗片的哺乳動物。該物種為穿山甲属中華穿山甲的一個亞種，也是台灣的一個特有亞種。目前，因棲地流失及人類過度捕食等因素，該物種已瀕臨絕滅。
