A Review of the Ecology and Biology of Chinese Pangolin (Manis pentadactyla)

Chinese pangolin (Manis pentadactyla) has important value in Chinese medicine, economy and ecology. At present, Chinese pangolin is about to go extinct due to over hunting and habitat destruction, which has caused a dramatic decline in the wild population. Breeding Chinese pangolin in captivity is very difficult and has not succeeded yet. This paper is to review the wild population, habitat, foraging, ac-tivity rhythm, breeding and physiology of Chinese pangolin. It provides theoretical basis of ecology and biology for the protection and artificial domestication of Chi-nese pangolin. Meanwhile, given the demands of protection, future research direc-tions are suggested.