How many pangolins are left in the world 2025

The United States on Monday moved to extend federal protections to all species of pangolins—a step that would tighten trade restrictions and highlight the urgent conservation plight of the world's only scaly mammals.

Found in the forests, woodlands, and savannas of Africa and Asia, pangolins are small, nocturnal creatures known for their distinctive appearance, slow and peaceful demeanor, and habit of curling into a ball when threatened.

Often likened to a walking pinecone, they use long, sticky tongues to feast on ants and termites, give birth to a single pup each year— and are the most heavily trafficked mammals on Earth. Their keratin scales are coveted in traditional medicine, and their meat is also considered a delicacy in some regions.

Despite steep population declines driven by poaching, habitat loss, and inbreeding, only one species—Temminck's pangolin of Africa—is currently protected under the US Endangered Species Act. Monday's proposal by the US Fish and Wildlife Service would extend that status to all eight known species.

In a statement, the agency said it intends to list the four Asian species—Chinese, Indian, Sunda, and Philippine—as well as the three other

Lack of data and reporting gaps hamper global efforts to protect pangolins



Gland, Switzerland, 27 August 2025
– All eight recognised pangolin species remain at high risk of extinction due to overexploitation and habitat loss, but the absence of updated population estimates and limited management in landscapes with pangolins mean the full scale of the situation is not yet understood, according to a new report commissioned by the Secretariat of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and prepared by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

The report, “Conservation Status, Trade and Enforcement Efforts for Pangolins” was prepared by experts from the IUCN Species Survival Commission’s (SSC) Pangolin Specialist Group for the CITES Secretariat, using information submitted by 32 CITES Parties, including 15 pangolin range States, through two questionnaires issued in 2024 and 2025. Previous CITES reports on pangolins, relevant scientific literature, and available trade data were also reviewed to provide an up-to-date overview of the conservation status of pangolins and the implementation of CITES measures.

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Saving pangolins from extinction



Pangolins under threat of extinction

Pangolins are under extreme pressure due to the demand for their meat and scales. We don’t know how many pangolins are left in the wild, as no reliable population studies are available. But if poaching and trafficking continue at the current rate, pangolins will be wiped out altogether in the coming decades.

Podcast

Chris Hamley, EIA’s Senior Pangolin Campaigner, takes a look at the issues with two of our in-country partners, Adams Cassinga, the Founding Director of Conserv Congo, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Vincent Opyene, the CEO and Founder of the Natural Resource Conservation Network, in Uganda.





Meet the pangolin

Pangolins are remarkable creatures. They’ve been called living pinecones, walking artichokes and tiny dinosaurs.

Covered in large overlapping scales, they walk with an unusual and distinctive gait – putting most of their weight on their back legs, curling up their forepaws to protect their long claws and using their tail to help keep their balance.

Being mostly nocturnal, they rely on their sharp senses of smell and hearing to detect their prey: ants and termites. The

New & Endangered: A Potential New Species of Pangolin, A Historic Threat



A NEW PANGOLIN SPECIES?


The Zoological Society of India (ZSI) has proposed the recognition of a new pangolin species, the Indo-Burmese pangolin. Genetic analysis suggests this species diverged from the Chinese pangolin approximately 3.4 million years ago. Indian scientists now believe that these are distinct species, and if officially recognised by the scientific and conservation communities, the Indo-Burmese pangolin would become the ninth known pangolin species globally and the fifth endemic to Asia.

The late identification of this species is attributed to historically limited genetic studies. Mukesh Thakur, a senior scientist at ZSI, explained in an interview with Mongabay that pangolin taxonomy has long been based on morphology. However, researchers have uncovered key genetic differences with the advent of genomic tools and high-throughput sequencing. While the Indo-Burmese pangolin shares traits with other Asian species, notable differences in body size, cranial structure, and scale patterns have been observed.


Image credit: Zoological Survey of India


This species is believed to inhabit re