Investigating the use of sensory information to detect and track prey by the Sunda pangolin (Manis javanica) with conservation in mind

Abstract

Pangolins are of conservation concern as one of the most heavily poached, yet least understood mammals. The Sunda pangolin (Manis javanica) in particular is a critically endangered species. Here, we investigate the behaviour of these pangolins, for the frst time, using a battery of cognitive tasks based on a manipulation of available sensory information. In an object-choice task in which only one of two containers was baited with food, the pangolins were able to fnd the food with olfactory information alone (N =2), but not with visual or acoustic information alone (N=1). The single subject tested on all three domains was further tested on how he used smell to fnd food by providing him with an opportunity to fnd it from a controlled distance or by using scent trails as a guide. The results suggest that our subject may have the capacity to exploit scent trails left by prey which can be tracked to a fnal source, though we found no evidence to suggest that he had the ability to initiate hunts based on distant prey odors. Despite the small sample size, this is the frst controlled experiment to investigate pangolin foraging behaviour and cognition, which may have implications for the future protection of pangolin habitat based on the location of prey species.