Expedition 🇨🇳 China
Pangolin in China
The world's most trafficked mammal — a scaly anteater that curls into an armoured ball when threatened.
The species
Pangolins are the only mammals covered in scales — keratin plates that protect them when they roll into a tight ball, presenting an impenetrable sphere to lions and leopards. They walk on hind legs, tail extended for balance, and use a long sticky tongue to slurp ants and termites from nests.
Habitat in China
Savanna woodland, forest, and grassland across sub-Saharan Africa and South and Southeast Asia hold pangolins. The ground pangolin ranges from Kenya and Tanzania through southern Africa, foraging at night with a keen sense of smell.
Where to spot one
Chengdu Panda Base
Sichuan
The world's best-known panda research and breeding centre — bamboo groves full of black-and-white bears.
Wolong National Nature Reserve
Sichuan
Mountain bamboo forest in the Minshan range — one of the first and most important wild panda reserves.
Foping National Nature Reserve
Shaanxi
Qinling Mountains forest — giant pandas and golden snub-nosed monkeys in temperate bamboo habitat.
Zhangjiajie National Forest Park
Hunan
Towering sandstone pillars draped in mist — home to macaques, civets, and rare forest birds.
Conservation status
All pangolin species are Critically Endangered or Endangered, devastated by illegal trade. International commercial trade is banned, but poaching continues across Africa and Asia.
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Log the Pangolin in China
Spot one in the wild — scan it in Catch'Um to log your rare discovery.