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The Indian pangolin, thick-tailed pangolin, or scaly anteater (Manis crassicaudata) is a pangolin found on the Indian subcontinent. It is not common anywhere in its range. Like other pangolins, it has large, overlapping scales on its body which act as armour. It can also curl itself into a ball as self-defence against predators such as the tiger. The colour of its scales varies depending on the colour of the earth in its surroundings.
It is an insectivore, feeding on ants and termites, digging them out of mounds and logs using its long claws, which are as long as its fore limbs. It is nocturnal and rests in deep burrows during the day.
The Indian pangolin is threatened by hunting for its meat and for various body parts used in traditional medicine.
The Indian pangolin is a solitary, shy, slow-moving, nocturnal mammal. It is about 84–122 centimetres (33–48 in) long from head to tail, the tail usually being 33–47 cm long, and weighs 10–16 kg. Females are generally smaller than the males and have one pair of mammae. The pangolin possesses a cone-shaped head with small, dark eyes, and a long muzzle with a nose pad similar in color, or darker than, its pinkish-brown skin. It has powerful limbs, tipped with sharp, clawed digits. It is an almost exclusive insectivore and principally subsists on ants and termites, which it catches with a specially adapted long, sticky tongue.The pangolin has no teeth, but has strong stomach muscles to aid in digestion. The most noticeable characteristic of the pangolin is its massive, scaled armour, which covers its upper face and its whole body with the exception of the belly and the inside of the legs. These protective scales are rigid and made of keratin. It has 160–200 scales in total, about 40–46% of which are located on the tail. Scales can be 6.5–7 cm long, 8.5 cm wide, and weigh 7–10 grams. The skin and scales make up about one-fourth to one-third of the total body mass of this species.
The Indian pangolin has been recorded from various forest types, including Sri Lankan rainforest and plains to middle hill levels. The animal can be found in grasslands and secondary forests, and is well adapted to desert regions as it is believed to have a tolerance to dry areas, but prefers more barren, hilly regions. This pangolin species may also sometimes reach high elevations, and has been sighted in Sri Lanka at 1100 meters and in the Nilgiri mountains in India at 2300 meters. It prefers soft and semi-sandy soil conditions suitable for digging burrows.
Pangolin burrows fall into one of two categories: feeding and living burrows. Feeding burrows are smaller than living burrows (though their sizes vary depending on the abundance of prey) and are created more frequently during the spring, when there is a greater availability of prey. Living burrows are wider, deeper, and more circular, and are occupied for a longer time than feeding burrows, as they are mainly used to sleep and rest during the day. After a few months, the pangolin abandons the burrow and digs a new one close to a food source. However, it is not uncommon for the pangolin to shift back to an old burrow.
Unlike its African counterpart, the Indian pangolin does not climb trees, but it does value the presence of trees, herbs, and shrubs in its habitat because it is easier to dig burrows around them. Features that promote an abundance of ants and termites (grasses, bare grounds, bases of trees, shrubs, roots, leaf litter, fallen logs and elephant feces) are often present in pangolin habitats.
Few details are known about the breeding behaviour of the Indian pangolin. During the animal's mating period, females and males may share the same burrow and show some diurnal activities. Males have testes in a fold of the skin located in their groin areas. The female's embryo develops in one of the uterine horns. The gestation period lasts 65–70 days; the placenta is diffuse and not deciduate. Usually, a single young is born, but twins have been reported in this species. The young weigh 235–400 g at birth and measure roughly 30 cm. The newborn animals have open eyes, and soft scales with protruding hairs between them. The mother pangolin carries her young on her tail. When the mother and young are disturbed, the young pangolin is held against its mother's belly and protected by the mother's tail.
Wikipedia: The crested serpent eagle (Spilornis cheela) is a medium-sized bird of prey that is found in forested habitats across tropical Asia. Within its widespread range across the Indian Subcontinent, Southeast Asia and East Asia, there are considerable variations and some authorities prefer to treat several of its subspecies as completely separate species.
The crested serpent eagle is a reptile eater which hunts over forests, often close to wet grassland, for snakes and lizards. It has also been observed to prey on birds, large insects like grasshoppers or locusts, amphibians, mammals, fishes, termites and large earthworms. It is found mainly over areas with thick vegetation both on the low hills and the plains. This species is a resident species, but in some parts of their range they are found only in summer.
Conservation status: Least Concern
Giant cathedral termite mounds in the Litchfield National Park, Australia. Sometimes called Spinifex Termites (Nasutitermes triodiae)
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©2016 Fantommst
Southern giraffe (Giraffa giraffa), aka two-horned giraffe,] is a species of giraffe native to Southern Africa. It is one of the four species of giraffe recognized by the International union for the Conservaton of Nature (IUCN).
Okavanga Delta, Botswana.
Conservation status: vulnerable
Thank you for your views and comments. They are all greatly appreciated.
Look at this cute little termite. It looks like it is made of wax and lit from within. This is the first time that I have been able to get a photo of one with wings.
Giant cathedral termite mounds in the Litchfield National Park, Australia. Sometimes called Spinifex Termites (Nasutitermes triodiae)
All rights reserved. Written permission required for usage.
Please do not use this photo on any websites or for personal use.
Thank you.
©2016 Fantommst
We've had some hot weather lately and that always brings out the termites. This particular morning they were gathering in the millions (and then some) in the gently swirling eddies below the clifftops. Would they show up in a photo? Only one way to find out. This is only a minute part of the whole. The numbers are beyond imagining.
the Meridian termite or as the locals call them ‘Magnetic’ Termite Mounds (Amitermes meridionalis) which produce unusual wedge-shaped mounds aligned in a roughly North-South direction. These mounds occur in large numbers on the black soil plains, which become waterlogged in the wet season.
Photographed the Termite Mound artificial structure at the Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park located on Discovery Island in Bay Lake in Orange County Florida U.S.A
Mound-building termites are a group of termite species that live in mounds which are made of a combination of soil, termite saliva and dung. These termites live in Africa, Australia and South America. The mounds sometimes have a diameter of 30 metres. Most of the mounds are in well-drained areas.
Source: Wikipedia
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Termite Mound by Irene Becker © All rights reserved
Kwarau, Kaduna State, Nigeria.
Sep 13, 2021 Explore #287
Old build done for Hibernia. Meant to be a terraforming/mining vehicle utilised in rugged environments.
These termite mounds are only a few minutes from my Dundee Beach block in the Northern Territory of Australia. I captured this image using the focus stacking app on my Nikon D850, it consists of 17 images that I rendered using Helicon Focus 7 software.
Termites in rotten wood of a tree hole
Bicentennial Park, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia, 2017
Mechtober week 4!
Right on time... poor guy is a structural disaster and doesn't photograph well; so I piled on some bricks and called it a day. But it's done, I can stop looking at pictures of construction equipment when I lie in bed at night. Only 9 months till I botch next years mechtober!
Images of Australia: 57/100
The Magnetic Termite Mounds are unique and found exclusively in northern Australia. The mounds have a precise north-south orientation, with thin edges pointing north-south and broad backs facing east-west.
This alignment is a sophisticated temperature control mechanism that helps maintain optimal conditions for the termite colonies inside.
The termites construct these mounds using a mixture of saliva, sand, and droppings, The mounds can survive for 50 to 100 years and are complete with arches, tunnels, chimneys, insulation, and nursery chambers, that can all withstand decades of the harsh climate while maintaining perfect internal climate control.
One of Litchfield National Park's most impressive sights is the hundreds of termite mounds standing up to two metres high in a wide swathe of empty ground. Up to 100 years old, these structures are unique to the northern parts of Australia and Litchfield National Park, 120 kilometres south of Darwin.
Magnetism or magnets have nothing to do with it. This arrangement is nature’s answer to the problem of termite air conditioning. By aligning themselves with the journey of the sun, these termites ensure that the temperature stays even over the course of the ferociously hot day and subsequent cold night.
Best viewed large.
Explore #107
Southern Harvester Termite Soldier
Photographed at ~6.5x magnification.
Canon 6D, MPE-65, TC 1.4X, total RR 6.5
ISO 100, F/3.5, 0.4s, 157 images stacked in Zerene
YS-type DIY LED tunnel light. Beetle diffuser material for tunnel.
ZS, PS, Capture 1
Cape Town, South Africa
Big Basin Redwood State Park, California.
The amazing ever-living Redwood Tree.
Capable of withstanding storms, floods, fires, drought, and even tree-devouring termites, these mighty redwoods can live over 2,000 years. Redwoods possess amazing strength, vigor, and regenerative powers. They have earned their name Sequoia
sempervirens-meaning ever-green or ever-living.
Bark up to a foot thick protects the growing part of the tree. Roots grow sideways and fuse with roots of neighboring trees, forming a network of stability. Leaves catch moisture from fog, a precious source of water when rain is scarce.
Red pigment contains an insect-deterring chemical called tannin-a potent repellent against termites, wood-boring beetles, and fungal attack.
Dormant buds sprout and the tree continues to grow after a limb or top breaks off.
Termites in rotten wood of a tree hole
Bicentennial Park, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia, 2017
A first sighting for me and I am delighted. Long on my list of birds to see. Similar to the other woodpecker, resident of South Asia. Prefers fruits and berries, but also ants, termites, larvae, and beetles. I sighted in high canopy of a small tree that was overshadowed by the canopy of a larger tree. Luckily it was the right side of the sun and in light for just a few seconds! This is one of the smaller woodpeckers and maybe the name reflects that.
Thanks in advance for your views and feedback. Much appreciated.