Pangolins Astonish Scientists as the World’s Most Unique Creatures

Scientists counted how many chromosomes pangolins have. It turned out that these strange animals are second among mammals in this respect. Far ahead of humans. The DNA in their cells is packed in as many as 114 chromosomes.

Scientists counted how many chromosomes pangolins have. It turned out that these strange animals are in second place among mammals in this respect. Far ahead of humans. The DNA in their cells is packed in as many as 114 chromosomes.

That’s what scaly animals, also known as pangolins, look like. They form a family of placental mammals that inhabit Asia and Africa. Only eight species belong to this family. All are threatened with extinction, two are critically endangered.

Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) studied the DNA of one of the pangolins, Phataginus tricuspis. They came across a surprise. These pangolins have as many as 114 chromosomes. Thus, they are in second place among mammals. They are surpassed only by South American Dactylomys boliviensis rats living in South America with 118 chromosomes. Humans with 46 chromosomes are far behind.

How the pangolins are doing

“There are no others like them on the planet.” — said UCLA’s Jen Tinsman, a researcher on scaly animals who headed the team analyzing their DNA. He added that “although the scaly animals resemble a cross between an armadillo and an anteater, their closest cousins are cats and rhinos” .

Not much is still known about pangolins. They are difficult to study. They lead a nocturnal lifestyle. They feed on ants, termites and other insects. Some species live in earthen cavities. Others use a grasping tail to hold on to branches and tree trunks. The latter group includes white-bellied scales.

The defense strategy of pangolins is simple. When a predator appears in their vicinity, they curl up into a ball covered with scales. This can throw an opponent into consternation. Lions, for example, then don’t quite know what to do with the pangolins. According to phys.org, lions have been seen trying to roll pangolins on the ground.

Second place among mammals

Pangolin is 30–40 cm long. It weighs a few kilograms. It lives in the tropical forests of sub-Saharan Africa. In addition to an unusually large number of chromosomes, the animal has another unusual feature. As it turned out, the female white-bellied pangolin has one more chromosome than the male. In males, scientists counted only 113 chromosomes. This happens rarely in animals.

DNA is shaped like an enormously long, twisted ladder. “In cells, DNA occurs as separate molecules that form individual chromosomes,” explained Bill Bryson in his book “The Body. A User’s Guide.”

The number of chromosomes in different species can vary greatly — from a few to several hundred (in some plants). For now, scientists are not quite sure where these differences come from and what biological significance they have.

Protecting pangolins

So why were pangolin chromosomes counted? According to Jen Tinsman, it may help protect these unusual animals. In captivity, pangolins can only be seen in a few zoos around the world. In the wild, on the other hand, they are highly sought after by poachers. Their scales are used in traditional medicine in both Africa and Asia. That’s why they end up in black markets around the world.

“I’ve seen pangolin scales smuggled along with weapons, drugs and fake IDs,” says Jen Tinsman as quoted by phys.org.

Studies of the pangolin genome — their chromosomes and genes — will help protect them. — “They will allow us to decide how to manage populations,” says Ryan Harrigan of UCLA, a co-author of the paper. — “Because if you have two groups that are significantly different genetically, you can handle them differently,” he adds.

“Pangolins are wonderful animals that we have brought to the brink of extinction. That really saddens me,” adds another scientist involved in the study, evolutionary biologist Tom Smith. He and his colleagues now intend to conduct genetic studies of other pangolin species.

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