Scientists doing a routine analysis of confiscated wildlife in India started noticing a pattern in their data — and soon discovered a “cryptic” new species, already among “the most heavily trafficked mammals globally.”
Law enforcement in northeastern India seized pangolins and pangolin scales from wildlife traffickers and gave the specimens to scientists for forensic analysis, Mukesh Thakur, one of the researchers involved, told McClatchy News.
Pangolins are scaly, anteater-like mammals known for their long tongues, burrowing lifestyles and elusive habits. Throughout their homes in Africa and Asia, pangolins are threatened by poaching, habitat loss and other human-induced pressures.
As researchers analyzed the DNA of the confiscated pangolins, they noticed two patterns: Some of the scales belonged to the Chinese pangolin, a known species, but others were genetically distinct, according to a study published Jan. 7 in the peer-reviewed journal Mammalian Biology.