Smutsia
Genus of mammals
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Smutsia ("Smuts's animal") or African ground pangolin is a genus of pangolins from subfamily Smutsiinae within family Manidae.[4][5][6][7] It was formerly considered a subgenus of genus Manis.[8] Its members are the more terrestrial of the African pangolins.[9] In the past, this genus was also present in Europe.[10]
| Smutsia | |
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| Pangolins from genus Smutsia | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Pholidota |
| Suborder: | Eupholidota |
| Superfamily: | Manoidea |
| Family: | Manidae |
| Subfamily: | Smutsiinae Gray, 1873[2] |
| Genus: | Smutsia Gray, 1865[3] |
| Type species | |
| Smutsia gigantea Illiger, 1815 | |
| Species | |
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| Synonyms | |
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synonyms of subfamily:
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Etymology
British naturalist John Edward Gray named Smutsia for South African naturalist Johannes Smuts (1808–1869),[11][12] the first South African to write a treatise on mammals in 1832 (in which he described the species Manis temminckii).
Description
The Smutsia species can be easily distinguished due to a layer of protective horny scales covering their long streamlined bodies, small cone-shaped heads, and thick tails. Resembling artichoke leaves, the scales are composed of fused hairs. When threatened, members of the species roll into an impenetrable ball, leaving the sharp, yellow-brown scales exposed to the predator.
Diet and nutrition
Ground pangolins are carnivorous animals which mainly eat termites and ants, though larvae and other soft-bodied insects are also consumed on occasion.
Mating life
Ground pangolins reach sexual maturity at around 5–7 years of age. The species is described as polygynous: one male will mate with multiple females, but females tend to mate with only a single male. The gestation period lasts for 139 days, with each pregnancy yielding a single offspring. Mothers and their young shelter underground until the pups reach 2 to 4 weeks of age, at which stage they are carried outside the nest, though they remain with their mothers for 3 months.
Taxonomy
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