Smutsia

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Smutsia
Temporal range: 9.78–0  Ma
O
S
D
C
P
T
J
K
Pg
N
Late Miocene - present [1]
Smutsia.jpg
Pangolins from genus Smutsia
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Pholidota
Family: Manidae
Subfamily: Smutsiinae
Gray, 1873 [2]
Genus: Smutsia
Gray, 1865 [3]
Type species
Smutsia gigantea
Illiger, 1815
Species
Manis ranges.png
Synonyms
synonyms of subfamily:
  • Smutsiana (Gray, 1873)
  • Smutsiini (Gray, 1873)

African ground pangolin (Smutsia - "Smuts's animal") is a genus of pangolins from subfamily Smutsiinae within family Manidae. It was formerly considered a subgenus of genus Manis . [4] Its members are the more terrestrial of the African pangolins. [5] In past, this genus was also present in Europe. [6]

Contents

Description

The Smutsia species can be easily distinguished due to the layer of protective horny scales. They have a long streamlined body, its small coned shaped head, and thick tails that are covered with overlapping scales that resemble artichoke leaves. The color of these scales are between a yellow and brown color and are composed of fused hairs. These scales are often important to this species, when it feels threatened, they will roll itself into an impenetrable ball and the sharp scales are left exposed to the predator.

Diet and nutrition

The ground pangolins are carnivorous animals that only eat termites and ants and oftentimes will also eat larvae and other soft-bodied insects.

Mating life

Ground pangolins are described as polygynous animals which means when one male mates with multiple females but females can only mate with a single male. During the mating process, gestation may occur for 139 days until one young is born. The setting in which this occurs is an underground shelter until the babies reach 2 to 4 weeks then they are carried outside. The baby will stay with its mother until it reaches 3 months of birth. Pups are able to start the breeding process until they are 5–7 years old.

Etymology

British naturalist John Edward Gray named Smutsia for South African naturalist Johannes Smuts (1808–1869), [7] [8] the first South African to write a treatise on mammals in 1832 (in which he described the species Manis temminckii ).

Taxonomy

Phylogeny

Phylogenetic position of genus Smutsia within family Manidae [10] [11] [12] [1]

  Pholidotamorpha  

Palaeanodonta Metacheiromys DB152-2.jpg

  Pholidota  

Euromanis

 ? 

Pholidota sp. (BC 16’08)

Eurotamanduidae

  Eupholidota  

Eomanoidea

  Manoidea  

Patriomanidae

 ? 

Necromanis

  Manidae  

Maninae Pangolin Hardwicke (white background).jpg

 ? 

Manidae sp. (DPC 3972 & DPC 4364)

 Smutsiinae 

Phatagininae Anatomische Untersuchungen uber die Edentaten (1852) Phataginus tricuspis.png

 Smutsiinae 
 sensu stricto 
 african clade 
 sensu lato 
 sensu stricto 
 (Pholidotasensu lato) 

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pangolin</span> Mammals of the order Pholidota

Pangolins, sometimes known as scaly anteaters, are mammals of the order Pholidota. The one extant family, the Manidae, has three genera: Manis, Phataginus, and Smutsia. Manis comprises four species found in Asia, while Phataginus and Smutsia include two species each, all found in sub-Saharan Africa. These species range in size from 30 to 100 cm. A number of extinct pangolin species are also known. In September 2023, nine species were reported.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ground pangolin</span> Species of mammal

The ground pangolin, also known as Temminck's pangolin, Cape pangolin or steppe pangolin is a species of pangolin from genus Smutsia of subfamily Smutsiinae the within family Manidae. It is one of four species of pangolins which can be found in Africa, and the only one in southern and eastern Africa. The animal was named for the Dutch zoologist Coenraad Jacob Temminck.

<i>Manis</i> Genus of mammals

Manis ("spirit") is a genus of South Asian and East Asian pangolins, the Asiatic pangolins, from subfamily Maninae, within family Manidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manidae</span> Family of pangolins

Manidae ("spirits") is the only extant family of pangolins from superfamily Manoidea. This family comprises three genera, as well as extinct Fayum pangolin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Giant pangolin</span> Species of mammal

The giant pangolin is a species of pangolin from genus Smutsia of subfamily Smutsiinae within the family Manidae. It is the largest living species of pangolins. Members of the species inhabit Africa with a range stretching along the equator from West Africa to Uganda. It subsists almost entirely on ants and termites.

<i>Eomanis</i> Extinct genus of mammals

Eomanis is the earliest known true pangolin from extinct family Eomanidae within suborder Eupholidota. It lived during the Eocene in Europe. Eomanis fossils found in the Messel Pit in Germany are very similar in size and anatomy to living pangolins of the genus Manis, indicating that pangolins have remained largely unchanged in morphology and behavior for 50 million years. However, unlike modern pangolins, its tail and legs did not bear scales. According to the stomach contents of the excellently preserved Messel specimens, Eomanis’ diet consisted of both insects and plants.

<i>Eurotamandua</i> Extinct genus of pangolins

Eurotamandua is an extinct genus of mammal from extinct family Eurotamanduidae that lived during the middle Eocene.

<i>Necromanis</i> Extinct genus of mammals

Necromanis is an extinct genus of pangolin from superfamily Manoidea. It lived from the middle Oligocene to middle Miocene in Europe. It was originally placed within family Manidae, but was eventually removed from it as more fossil pholidotids from outside that family were found and studied more extensively. Currently, Necromanis is placed as incertae sedis within the pholidotid superfamily Manoidea, together with the families Manidae and Patriomanidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Long-tailed pangolin</span> Species of mammal

The long-tailed pangolin, also called the African black-bellied pangolin or ipi, is a diurnal, arboreal pangolin species belonging to the family Manidae, in the order Pholidota. They feed on ants rather than termites. The common names for this species stem from physical characteristics, such as the extremely long tail or the dark hairs that cover the underside of their bodies and limbs. Pangolin comes from the Malay word pengguling, meaning “something that rolls up”.

Escavadodon is an extinct genus of pangolin-like myrmecophagous placental mammals of extinct monotypic family Escavadodontidae within extinct order Palaeanodonta, that lived in North America during the middle Paleocene. It contains a single species, Escavadodon zygus, recovered from the Nacimiento Formation of New Mexico.

<i>Phataginus</i> Genus of mammals

African tree pangolin (Phataginus) is a genus of African pangolins from subfamily small African pangolins (Phatagininae), within family Manidae. Its members are the more arboreal of the African pangolins.

<i>Patriomanis</i> Genus of mammals

Patriomanis is an extinct genus of pangolin from extinct family Patriomanidae. It lived from the late Eocene to early Oligocene of North America and it currently represents the only pangolin known from the Western Hemisphere. The genus contains one species, P. americana, which is known from six specimens, mostly from the Chadronian White River Formation of Montana. It had long digits and a prehensile tail, suggesting that it was arboreal, and its jaw was capable of opening wider than modern pangolins. Its ears and the hair between its scales were also longer than modern pangolins.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patriomanidae</span> Extinct family of pangolins

Patriomanidae is an extinct family of pangolins from superfamily Manoidea that includes two extinct genera Patriomanis and Cryptomanis. Their fossils are found in Asia and North America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ernanodontidae</span> Extinct family of mammals

Ernanodontidae is an extinct family of myrmecophagous placental mammals within extinct order Palaeanodonta, that lived in Asia from the middle to late Paleocene.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pholidotamorpha</span> Clade of mammals

Pholidotamorpha is a clade of placental mammals from mirorder Ferae that includes the order Pholidota and extinct order Palaeanodonta.

<i>Euromanis</i> Genus of mammals

Euromanis is one of the earliest known pangolin genera. It lived during the middle Eocene in Europe. Euromanis fossils found in the Messel Pit in Germany. Unlike modern pangolins, it did not bear scales on its body.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eupholidota</span> Suborder of pangolins

Eupholidota is a suborder of pangolins that includes two superfamilies: extant Manoidea and extinct Eomanoidea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manoidea</span> Superfamily of pangolins

Manoidea ("spirits") is a superfamily of pangolins from suborder Eupholidota that includes extant family Manidae, extinct family Patriomanidae and extinct genus Necromanis.

Smutsia olteniensis is an extinct species of pangolins from genus Smutsia of subfamily Smutsiinae within family Manidae. Fossilized remains of the species were found in Romania, providing evidence regarding the existence of pangolins in Europe during the Plio-Pleistocene period.

Cryptomanis is an extinct genus of pangolin from extinct family Patriomanidae. The genus is only known from the holotype specimen from middle Eocene deposits from Inner Mongolia, China. The holotype, AMNH 26140, was for years labeled as an unnamed pangolin in the fossil collection for decades. The remains consist of an incomplete postcranial specimen, with nearly complete hind limbs, an incomplete pelvis, a complete lumbar series from an incomplete vertebral column, numerous fragmentary remains of rib and sternal bones, a fragmentary scapula, and partially preserved forelimbs. Based on the femural length Cryptomanis was comparable in size to the modern Sunda pangolin.

References

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[1]


  1. "Smutsia temminckii Ground Pangolin (Temminck's Ground Pangolin, Cape Pangolin) : Fr. Pangolin terrestre du Cap; Ger. Steppenschuppentier", Mammals of Africa : Carnivores, Pangolins, Equids and Rhinoceroses, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2013, doi:10.5040/9781472926951.0093, ISBN   978-1-4729-2695-1 , retrieved 2023-10-28