Article
Article
Pholidota
Article By:
Savage, Donald E. Department of Paleontology, University of California, Berkeley, California.
Last reviewed:May 2021
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.507600
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- Pholidota, published March 2016:Download PDF
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- Pholidota, published June 2014:Download PDF
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An order of mammals comprising the living pangolins and their poorly known fossil predecessors. All living members of the mammalian order Pholidota, that is, the pangolins (also termed scaly anteaters), belong to the family Manidae and are assigned to the genera Manis (4 species; see illustration), Phataginus (2 species), and Smutsia (2 species). Members of the genera Phataginus and Smutsia are found in Africa, specifically south of the Sahara, and members of the genus Manis are found in southeastern Asia, including certain islands of the East Indies. Collectively, the pangolins are the most illegally traded mammals in the world (often being sought for traditional Chinese medicine practices), and they are considered critically endangered or vulnerable species. See also: Endangered species; Mammalia
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