Facts for Prelims (FFP)
Source: TH
Context: Researchers analysing confiscated pangolin scales in Hong Kong and China’s Yunnan province have identified a new and distinct pangolin species named Manis mysteria through DNA analysis.
- This discovery marks the ninth known species of pangolin.
- Pangolins have been poached for bushmeat, but in the last decade, their skins, scales, and whole bodies have been in high demand in countries like Vietnam, China, and the US. This has led to a decline in their populations.
About Pangolin
- Pangolins are among the most trafficked wild mammals globally.
- India is home to two species:
- Indian Pangolin (EN), found across the subcontinent
- Chinese Pangolin (CR), is found across a larger area in south Asia.
- Both species are included under India’s Schedule Iof the Wildlife Protection Act (Jail term for those hunting animals listed here)
- Appendix I of CITES(meaning they are most endangered)
- Ecological Importance: They play a vital role in ecosystem management, mostly in aerating and adding moisture to the soil as well as the succession of plant communities through burrowing.
