Global Endangered Species

Temminck's Ground Pangolin

Smutsia temminckii

Africa's most widespread pangolin, increasingly targeted by international trafficking as Asian pangolin populations collapse.

Illustration of a Temminck's ground pangolin ambassador — stocky pangolin in large brown overlapping scales walking upright on its hind legs with a heavy tail — in African savanna at dusk near a termite mound. — Illustrated Species Ambassador — original artwork, not a photograph

Illustrated Species Ambassador

Nkosi — Temminck's Ground Pangolin

I'm Nkosi, an illustrated ambassador for Temminck's ground pangolin. I walk on my hind legs across open savanna, keeping my digging claws off the dirt.

One fact worth knowing: Temminck's ground pangolin is Africa's most widespread pangolin, and is increasingly targeted by international trafficking as Asian pangolin populations collapse.
What I depend on: I depend on ant and termite colonies, on burrows — often ones aardvarks dug — and on fencing that is not electrified at the height that kills pangolins.
My greatest threat: My greatest threat is trafficking, along with electric fencing and bushmeat hunting.
One way you can help: Never buy pangolin scales, leather or curios; if you manage fenced land in range countries, raise the lowest electrified strand above pangolin height.

Global endangered species →

This ambassador is an original illustration created for this project. It is an educational character, not a documentary image, and its statements follow the sourced record on this page. Artwork and rights record

Why this species matters

As Asian pangolin populations collapsed, trafficking pressure shifted to Africa. Temminck's ground pangolin shows how demand in one part of the world reaches across continents to a species that had not previously been targeted at scale.

If it disappears: African savannas would lose a specialized insect predator and soil-turning digger, and the world would lose another of only eight pangolin species.

Cultural and regional note: Pangolins hold cultural significance in several southern African traditions, and in some regions live animals were traditionally presented to leaders — a practice that conservation programs now work to redirect toward release.

Conservation status

IUCN Red List: VulnerableLast verified 2026-09-08
CITES: Appendix IAll pangolin species moved to Appendix I in 2016.Last verified 2026-09-08
National: Protected under national wildlife law across most range statesLast verified 2026-09-08

Population

No reliable population estimate exists. The IUCN documents a suspected decline of roughly 30 to 40 percent over three generations, with the species now rare or absent across parts of its former range.

Trend: Decreasing

As reported: IUCN Red List assessment

Source: IUCN Red List; IUCN SSC Pangolin Specialist Group

Uncertainty: Densities are naturally low and the animal is nocturnal and solitary, so field estimates are unreliable and vary widely between studies.

Historical: Historically distributed across a very large area of eastern and southern Africa.

Fragmentation: Populations are increasingly isolated in protected areas and low-density rangeland.

Range and distribution

Historic range: From Chad and Sudan south through East Africa to South Africa and west to Namibia and Angola.

Current range: Broadly the same range with substantial local losses, particularly near dense human settlement.

Range contraction: Locally extirpated in agricultural and heavily settled areas.

Regions occupied

South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe
Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique
Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda
South Sudan, Chad, Central African Republic

Habitat

Primary habitat: Savanna, woodland, floodplain grassland, and arid scrub with abundant ants and termites.

Breeding habitat: Gives birth in a burrow, often one dug by aardvarks or other animals.

Feeding habitat: Excavates ant and termite nests, feeding almost exclusively on a limited number of species.

Habitat dependencies

Ant and termite colonies
Available burrows, often created by aardvarks
Absence of electrified fencing at the height that kills pangolins

Biology and ecology

A major consumer of ants and termites, and a soil aerator through its digging.

Important adaptations: Walks upright on its hind legs with the tail as a counterbalance, keeping the front claws free for digging. Rolls into an impenetrable ball when threatened.

Size: Head and body roughly 20 to 24 inches, plus a heavy tail.
Weight: Typically 15 to 40 pounds — the largest African pangolin.
Lifespan: Estimated up to about 20 years.
Diet: Ants and termites, with strong preferences for particular species.
Reproduction: A single pup after a gestation of several months; the pup rides on the mother's tail base.
Offspring: One.
Breeding frequency: Roughly once per year or less.
Age at maturity: About two years.

Primary threats

Wildlife trafficking
African pangolin scales are increasingly seized in shipments bound for Asian markets as Asian populations decline.
Electric fencing
Electrified game and livestock fencing is a major documented cause of death: a pangolin touching a low strand curls around it and is unable to release, dying from prolonged shock.
Bushmeat hunting
Local hunting for meat continues across much of the range.
Habitat loss
Agricultural expansion and settlement reduce and fragment savanna habitat.
Road mortality
Slow-moving nocturnal animals are frequently killed on roads.
Traditional use
Body parts are used in some traditional practices, adding to offtake.
Slow reproduction
One offspring per year makes recovery from any sustained loss very slow.

Conservation and recovery

Programs and efforts

African Pangolin Working Group research, rescue, and rehabilitation
CITES Appendix I enforcement and cross-border anti-trafficking operations
Wildlife-friendly fencing guidance raising the lowest electrified strand out of the pangolin risk zone
Rehabilitation and release programs for confiscated animals, with post-release monitoring
Detection dog units at airports and border posts in southern Africa

Protected areas

Kruger National Park, South Africa
Kafue and South Luangwa, Zambia
Etosha and Namibian conservancies
Community conservancies across East Africa

Legal protections

CITES Appendix I
National protected species status across most range states
Prosecution under organized wildlife crime statutes in South Africa

Measurable progress

Rehabilitation programs have successfully returned confiscated pangolins to the wild with documented survival
Fence modification guidance has been adopted by a growing number of reserves
Sting operations have produced significant prosecutions in South Africa

Continuing challenges

Demand continues to grow
The species is extremely difficult to survey
Rehabilitation is labor-intensive and expensive per animal

How people can help

What individuals can do

Never buy pangolin products, including scales, leather, or curios
If you manage land with electric fencing in range countries, raise the lowest strand above pangolin height
Report roadside pangolins to wildlife authorities rather than handling them

What communities can do

Support wildlife-friendly fencing standards on game and livestock properties
Fund rescue and rehabilitation facilities

Educational actions

Use the electric fence problem to teach that ordinary infrastructure can be a leading cause of death

Habitat support

Support savanna conservancies and community conservation programs

Organizations and programs to learn about

African Pangolin Working Group
IUCN SSC Pangolin Specialist Group
TRAFFIC
national parks authorities

Educational notes

Walks on its hind legs, unlike most other pangolins.
Electric fencing is a leading cause of death in southern Africa — a solvable engineering problem.

Related educational project

Pango's Secret Armor: The Little Creature Who Needed Big Friends

A children's educational story from Crowned Compass Publishing introducing young readers to pangolins. The story is fiction; the scientific record above is maintained separately from it.

Learn about this project →