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The pangolin trade is the illegal poaching, trafficking, and sale of pangolins, parts of pangolins, or pangolin-derived products on the black market. Pangolins are believed to be the world's most trafficked mammal , accounting for as much as 20% of all illegal wildlife trade .
Pholidotans range in size from the giant pangolin, at 30 kg (66 lb) and 68 cm (27 in) in length, to the tree pangolin, at only 2.3 kg (5.1 lb) and 34 cm (13 in) in length. They have large, hardened, keratin scales which cover their skin, and long claws which they use for digging or climbing trees.
Pangolin parts are also used for medicinal purposes in other Asian countries such as India, Nepal and Pakistan. In some parts of India and Nepal, locals believe that wearing the scales of a pangolin can help prevent pneumonia. [98] Pangolin scales have also been used for medicinal purposes in Malaysia, Indonesia and northern Myanmar.
The pangolin scales, which have an estimated price of around 40,000 baht ($1,129) per kilogram, are suspected to have been brought from Malaysia to Thailand, to be transported to Laos.
Officials say they seized and destroyed the scales in a stand against illegal wildlife trafficking. Nigeria burns $1.4m-worth of pangolin scales in anti-trafficking stand Skip to main content
Bag of pangolin scales intended for sale. The Indian pangolin is threatened by poaching for its meat and scales, which are used and consumed by local people, but are also increasingly traded internationally. [2] Various parts of the pangolin are valued as sources of food and medicine. The scales are used as an aphrodisiac, or made into rings or ...
Phataginus tricuspis is a relatively small pangolin. The combined head and body length is 33–43 cm (13–17 in). The tail is 49–62 cm (19–24 in). Each dark brown to brownish yellow scale has three points, to which the specific name tricuspis refers. These scales cover the whole body besides the face, underbelly, and insides of the legs. [5]
Genus: Phataginus (Rafinesque, 1821) (African tree pangolin) Phataginus tetradactyla (Linnaeus, 1766) (long-tailed pangolin) Phataginus tricuspis (Rafinesque, 1821) (tree pangolin) Subfamily: Smutsiinae (Gray, 1873) (large African pangolins) Genus: Smutsia (Gray, 1865) (African ground pangolin) Smutsia gigantea (Illiger, 1815) (giant pangolin)