# Chinese pangolin (*Manis pentadactyla*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/chinese-pangolin  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The chinese pangolin (Manis pentadactyla), also called the short-tailed pangolin, is a mammal in the family Manidae and the order Pholidota. It is a medium-sized mammal with an adult body mass of 4.7 kg and a lifespan of 15.2 years. The chinese pangolin is an invertivore that lives in shrubland, is nocturnal and has a scansorial lifestyle. It is listed as Critically Endangered (CR) on the IUCN Red List, a threatened category.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 3.64 kg – 4.68 kg |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Lifespan | 15.2 years |
| Diet | Invertivore |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | shrubland |
| Young per litter or clutch | 1 |
| Age at maturity | 2.07 years |
| Litters or clutches a year | 1 |
| Active | At night (nocturnal) |
| Lifestyle | Scansorial |
| Conservation status | Critically Endangered (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Mammalia
- order: Pholidota
- family: Manidae
- genus: Manis
- species: *Manis pentadactyla* Linnaeus, 1758

Synonyms: *Manis brachyura*, *Manis dalmanni*, *Phatages bengalensis*, *Pholidotus assamensis*, *Pholidotus kreyenbergi*

## Common questions

### What kind of animal is the chinese pangolin?

The chinese pangolin is a mammal in the family Manidae, order Pholidota.

### How heavy is the chinese pangolin?

An adult Chinese pangolin weighs 4.7 kg, which places it in the medium size class.

### What does the chinese pangolin eat?

The chinese pangolin is an invertivore, and its trophic level is carnivore.

### Is the chinese pangolin endangered?

Yes. The chinese pangolin is listed as Critically Endangered (CR) on the IUCN Red List, a threatened category.

### How long does the chinese pangolin live?

The chinese pangolin has a lifespan of 15.2 years.

### How many young does the chinese pangolin have?

The chinese pangolin has 1 young per litter and 1 litter per year. It reaches sexual maturity at 2.1 years.

### Who named the chinese pangolin?

The chinese pangolin was named Manis pentadactyla by Linnaeus, 1758.

## Sources

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), CC0 1.0, E096-269. Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1
- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org), per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed), 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence).
- [EltonTraits 1.0: species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1), CC0 1.0, 1.0. Wilman, H., Belmaker, J., Simpson, J., de la Rosa, C., Rivadeneira, M.M. & Jetz, W. (2014) EltonTraits 1.0: Species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals. Ecology 95: 2027. https://doi.org/10.1890/13-1917.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0, 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).

Cite as: Chinese pangolin (Manis pentadactyla). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/chinese-pangolin