Ecology and Conservation of Pangolin Using Stable Isotope Forensics
The giant ground pangolin (Smutsia gigantea - Illiger, 1815) of the African lowland rainforest and savanna gallery forests is one of the world’s least studied animals. It is the largest of the pangolin species, with males reaching 38 kg, and in common with the other species is myrmecophagous, providing an important ecosystem service as a regulator of social insect populations. Our current knowledge of pangolins is hampered by their predominantly nocturnal lifestyle, the fact they use a complex system of deep inaccessible burrows, and further, their jeopardy by poaching and trafficking. We know little about their movements and population sizes, and our lack of knowledge about their ecology hinders our efforts to protect them.The intensification of poaching to pangolins underlines the urgency for developing analytic approaches that can help antipoaching efforts as well as clarify pangolin ecology.
Entrance of a giant pangolin burrow
Tagging
IAPETUS2 PhD student Ruth Lewis-Smith will exploit technical advances in stable isotope analysis to provide long-sought data on the ecology and life history of giant pangolins. Work by David and his team have furnished us with giant pangolin tissues and faecal samples and improved knowledge of foraging areas. In particular, stable isotope profiling of scale samples will give us detailed information about seasonal differences in diet. Ruth collected scale and ant/termite prey samples in Lope National Park and tagged further individuals.
Dr. David Lehmann in front of a pangolin burrow
This is a collaborative project with the University of Stirling and the ANPN in Gabon. Preliminary work was highlighted in the Guardian newspaper here.
