Editing Pangolin (section)

===Diet===
Pangolins are [[insectivory|insectivorous]]. Most of their diet consists of various species of ants and termites and may be supplemented by other insects, especially larvae. They are somewhat particular and tend to consume only one or two species of insects, even when many species are available. A pangolin can consume {{convert|140|to|200|g|oz|frac=4|abbr=on}} of insects per day.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://bioweb.uwlax.edu/bio203/s2012/grosshue_crai/diet.htm |title=Rollin' With the Pangolin – Diet |first=Craig |last=Grosshuesch |year=2012 |publisher=[[University of Wisconsin–La Crosse]] |location=La Crosse, Wisconsin |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141223020558/http://bioweb.uwlax.edu/bio203/s2012/grosshue_crai/diet.htm |archive-date=23 December 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref> Pangolins are an important regulator of termite populations in their natural habitats.<ref>{{cite journal |doi=10.7717/peerj.4140 |pmid=29302388 |pmc=5742527 |title=Transcriptomic analysis identifies genes and pathways related to myrmecophagy in the Malayan pangolin (Manis javanica) |journal=[[PeerJ]] |publisher=[[O'Reilly Media]] |location=Corte Madera, California |volume=5 |pages=e4140 |year=2017 |last1=Ma |first1=Jing-E |last2=Li |first2=Lin-Miao |last3=Jiang |first3=Hai-Ying |last4=Zhang |first4=Xiu-Juan |last5=Li |first5=Juan |last6=Li |first6=Guan-Yu |last7=Yuan |first7=Li-Hong |last8=Wu |first8=Jun |last9=Chen |first9=Jin-Ping |doi-access=free }}</ref>

Pangolins have very poor [[Visual perception|vision]]. They also lack teeth. They rely heavily on [[Olfaction|smell]] and [[hearing]], and they have other physical characteristics to help them eat ants and termites. Their skeletal structure is sturdy and they have strong front legs used for tearing into termite mounds.<ref name="Rose-2010">{{Cite book |title=Xenarthra and Pholidota (Armadillos, Anteaters, Sloths and Pangolins) |last1=Rose |first1=K. D. |last2=Gaudin |first2=T. J.  |date=2010 |publisher=John Wiley & Sons, Ltd |isbn=978-0470015902 |doi=10.1002/9780470015902.a0001556.pub2|s2cid=82107941 }}</ref> They use their powerful front claws to dig into trees, soil, and vegetation to find prey,<ref>{{Cite journal |author1=Coulson, Ian M |author2=Heath, Martha E |date=December 1997 |title=Foraging behavior and ecology of the Cape pangolin (Manis temminckii) in north-western Zimbabwe |journal=African Journal of Ecology |volume=35 |issue=4 |pages=361–369 |doi=10.1111/j.1365-2028.1997.101-89101.x |bibcode=1997AfJEc..35..361R |via=EBSCO}}</ref> then proceed to use their long tongues to probe inside the insect tunnels and to retrieve their prey.

The structure of their tongue and stomach is key to aiding pangolins in obtaining and digesting insects. Their [[saliva]] is sticky,<ref name="Rose-2010"/> causing ants and termites to stick to their long tongues when they are hunting through insect tunnels. Without teeth, pangolins cannot also chew;<ref name="Gutteridge2008">{{cite book |first=Lee |last=Gutteridge |title=The South African Bushveld: A Field Guide from the Waterberg |url={{GBurl|id=Dvk4ogj3SxcC|pg=PT36}} |year=2008 |publisher=30° South Publishers |location=Pinetown, South Africa |isbn=978-1-920143-13-8 |page=36}}</ref> but while [[foraging]], they ingest small stones ([[gastroliths]]), which accumulate in their stomachs to help to grind up ants.<ref name="Publishing2015">{{cite book |title=Wildlife of the World |url={{GBurl|id=qqFFCgAAQBAJ|p=215}} |year=2015 |publisher=[[Dorling Kindersley]] |location=London, England |isbn=978-1-4654-4959-7 |page=215}}</ref> This part of their stomach is called the [[gizzard]], and it is also covered in keratinous spines.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Davit-Béal |first1=Tiphaine |last2=Tucker |first2=Abigail S. |last3=Sire |first3=Jean-Yves |date=1 April 2009 |title=Loss of teeth and enamel in tetrapods: fossil record, genetic data and morphological adaptations |journal=[[Journal of Anatomy]] |publisher=[[John Wiley & Sons]] |location=New York City |volume=214 |issue=4 |pages=477–501 |doi=10.1111/j.1469-7580.2009.01060.x |pmid=19422426 |pmc=2736120}}</ref> These spines further aid in the grinding up and digestion of the pangolin's prey.

Some species, such as the [[tree pangolin]], use their strong, [[prehensile]] tails to hang from tree branches and strip away bark from the trunk, exposing insect nests inside.<ref name="Prothero2016">{{cite book |first=Donald R. |last=Prothero |title=The Princeton Field Guide to Prehistoric Mammals |url={{GBurl|id=eiftDAAAQBAJ|p=118}} |year=2016 |publisher=[[Princeton University Press]] |location=Princeton, New Jersey |isbn=978-1-4008-8445-2 |page=118}}</ref>