Singapore- A deeper look

Singapore is home to its very own species of pangolins, the Sunda or Malayan pangolins (Manis javanica).

A Sunda pangolin and its keeper

The Sunda pangolins are listed as critically endangered in the Singapore Red Data Book (2008). They can be found mainly in the Central Catchment Nature Reserve, but are also sighted at the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, rural and scrub areas in Bukit Batok, the Western Catchment area and on the islands of Ubin and Tekong. This species is also distributed across Myanmar and Indochina, through the Malay Peninsula, Borneo, Sumatra to Java, Bali and Lombok.

Sunda pangolins are largely terrestrial but are capable of climbing trees as well. They are nocturnal and seek shelter in burrows and tree hollows during the day. These pangolins feed on a specialized diet of ants and termites.

Pythons are the pangolins’ only natural predators in Singapore.