NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Indian Pangolin
Manis crassicaudata É. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1803
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The Indian pangolin (Manis crassicaudata), also called thick-tailed pangolin and scaly anteater, is a pangolin native to the Indian subcontinent.
Like other pangolins, it has large, overlapping scales on its body which act as armour. The colour of its scales varies depending on the colour of the earth in its surroundings. It can also curl itself into a ball as self-defence against predators such as the tiger.
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.
It is not common anywhere in its range, and is threatened by hunting for its meat and various body parts used in traditional medicine.
Wikipedia contributors, Indian pangolin; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T04:28:36.460336+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Manis crassicaudata É. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1803
- Name authority
- É. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1803
- Common name
- Indian Pangolin
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Mammalia
- Order
- Pholidota
- Family
- Manidae
- Genus
- Manis
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classMammalia Linnaeus, 1758
- subclassTheria Parker & Haswell, 1897
- infraclassEutheria Gill, 1872
- orderPholidota Weber, 1904
- familyManidae Gray, 1821
- subfamilyManinae Gray, 1821
- genusManis Linnaeus, 1758
- speciesManis crassicaudata É. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1803
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Manis. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Palawan PangolinManis culionensis (de Elera, 1915) | ManidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Indo-Burmese PangolinManis indoburmanica Wangmo, Ghosh, Dolker, Joshi, Sharma & Thakur, 2025 | ManidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Malayan PangolinManis javanica Desmarest, 1822 | ManidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Chinese PangolinManis pentadactyla Linnaeus, 1758 | ManidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Manis crassicaudata Gray, 1827 Gray, 1827 | synonym |
| Pholidotus indicus Gray, 1865 Gray, 1865 | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=728008 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:3XVJJ. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.