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Wildlife Featured in this article
- Giant pangolin
Giant pangolins rediscovered in Senegal after quarter century
The species was believed to be extirpated from Niokolo-Koba National Park
A large-scale camera trap survey in Senegal has revealed the first confirmed sighting of a giant pangolin since 1999. Researchers in Niokolo-Koba National Park found camera trap images of the giant pangolin (Smutsia gigantea) in 2023 during a larger study in the area.
The giant pangolin is one of many species in the area believed to have disappeared from parts of their former range. One researcher told New Scientist that finding the species in the park was a surprise. The giant pangolin is considered endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature due to factors like habitat loss and overharvesting for their parts for the illegal wildlife trade.
“Such rediscoveries not only underscore the importance of systematic biodiversity inventories, but also the critical value of West Africa’s large protected areas,” the authors wrote in the African Journal of Ecology.
Header Image: Giant pangolins are considered endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Credit: Oregon State University
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