Trail Cam Spots Rare Pangolin in Area for the First Time

In their search for elusive pangolins, researchers took the advice of local shepherds in the Rajkot District of Gujarat, India, and placed two trail cameras near a local water source. The advice paid off. A trail cam caught a tantalizingly rare glimpse of an Indian pangolin (Manis crassicaudata), marking the first time scientists have ever recorded this species in the area.

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India is home to two pangolin species, the Indian pangolin and the Chinese pangolin. Both are endangered and rarely seen, thanks to the popularity of pangolin scales in the illegal wildlife trade.

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The trail-cam photo barely captured the rare animal. The image from July 2024 shows the pangolin’s scaly back. However, it captured enough of the animal for scientists to recognize that it is, indeed, an elusive Indian pangolin using its scale pattern.

“The presence of the Indian Pangolin indicates the possibility of the persistence of the population in the region,” the researchers say. “Pangolins rely on relatively undisturbed natural habitats for food, shelter, and breeding grounds.”

Hopefully, this sighting means Indian pangolins are living behind the scenes in the Rajkot District and finding the resources they need there.

Read the entire study on the rare pangolin sighting on a trail cam here.

Header image from “First photographic evidence and record of the Indian Pangolin Manis crassicaudata (Mammalia: Pholidota: Manidae) from Rajkot, Gujarat, India” by Aum Agravat, Vikram Aditya, Shreya Pandey, Bhavin G. Patel, Rushi Pathak, Aurobindo Samal. DOI: https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.9420.17.5.27030-27032

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