# Indian pangolin (*Manis crassicaudata*)

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

The Indian pangolin (Manis crassicaudata), also called the thick-tailed pangolin, is a mammal in the order Pholidota and the family Manidae. It is a medium-sized invertivore with an adult body mass of 8.5 kg, and up to 12 kg reported by our sources. The Indian pangolin is nocturnal and arboreal, and its habitats are forest and grassland. It is listed as Endangered (EN) on the IUCN Red List, a threatened category, and has one young per litter and one litter per year.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 8.46 kg – 12 kg |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Lifespan | 13.5 years |
| Diet | Invertivore |
| Longest recorded lifespan | 20 years |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | forest, grassland |
| Gestation | 68 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 1 |
| Age at maturity | 2.07 years |
| Litters or clutches a year | 1 |
| Active | At night (nocturnal) |
| Lifestyle | Arboreal |
| Conservation status | Endangered (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Mammalia
- order: Pholidota
- family: Manidae
- genus: Manis
- species: *Manis crassicaudata* É. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1803

Synonyms: *Manis crassicaudata*, *Pholidotus indicus*

## Common questions

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

The Indian pangolin is a mammal in the order Pholidota and the family Manidae. Its scientific name is Manis crassicaudata.

### How heavy is the Indian pangolin?

The Indian pangolin has an adult body mass of 8.5 kg, and the highest value reported by our sources is 12 kg.

### What does the Indian pangolin eat?

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

### What habitats does the Indian pangolin live in?

The Indian pangolin lives in forest and grassland. It is nocturnal and arboreal.

### Is the Indian pangolin endangered?

Yes, the Indian pangolin is listed as Endangered (EN) on the IUCN Red List, which is a threatened category.

### How long does the Indian pangolin live?

The Indian pangolin has a lifespan of 13.5 years, with up to 20 years reported by our sources.

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

The Indian pangolin has one young per litter and one litter per year, after a gestation period of 68 days.

### Who named the Indian pangolin?

The Indian pangolin was named Manis crassicaudata by É. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire in 1803.

## 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: Indian pangolin (Manis crassicaudata). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/indian-pangolin