One of the most trafficked animals in the world might be two different species

One of the most smuggled mammals on Earth, the shy pangolin, just yielded a surprise: scientists say a hidden lineage living in the Indo Burma mountains split from the Chinese pangolin millions of years ago, meaning the genus may hold a ninth species.

Genetic clues trace that split to roughly 3.4 million years ago, according to a new analysis of 41 pangolin genomes led by researchers at the Zoological Survey of India.

In 2019 authorities intercepted 128 tons of pangolin scales worldwide, a haul equal to thousands of animals and a record that underlined relentless demand.

Officials warn that any unnamed lineage could slip through legal gaps if trade rules are not tightened.

Genetic clues under pangolin scales

“Genomic analyses reveal that it diverged from the Chinese pangolin around 3.4 million years ago, indicating a long independent evolutionary history,” explained Mukesh Thakur of the Zoological Survey of India.

His team relied on mitochondrial DNA from seizures and museum skins, a method ideal for pinpointing hidden branches in heavily trafficked groups.

Comparing the gene maps produced a 3.8 percent barcode gap, large enough under the phylogenetic species concept to justify the name Manis indoburmanica.

Subtle cranial measurements and an olive brown scale tint added further weight, yet the authors concede that more skulls and full nuclear genomes are still needed to close the case.

A 2023 study spotted another cryptic Asian pangolin line in Hong Kong seizures, showing how genetic sleuthing keeps rewriting the family tree.

Together these papers suggest that Southeast Asia’s rugged frontiers fostered pangolin diversification that official lists have yet to catch.

Why species identity matters

Names steer money, laws, and fieldwork, so mislabeling can cost a species its final chance. Wildlife officers on the front line need a label they recognize before they can decide whether to release, prosecute, or rehabilitate an animal.

“The discovery is exciting, but the pressures of illegal trade mean the pangolin is effectively already endangered,” warned James Toone, pangolin campaign leader at the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA).

He points out that if M. indoburmanica remains outside formal listings, traffickers could claim their cargo is a non listed taxon.

Taxonomists also debate whether an 1836 name, Manis aurita, should take precedence over the new one, illustrating how museum drawers and Latin grammar can influence enforcement on the ground.

Until that debate ends, border inspectors may face yet another gray area in an already murky marketplace.

Pangolins and global trafficking

Last November Indonesian police seized 1.2 tons of pangolin scales, enough to strip nearly 5,900 animals and valued at about $1.3 million on the black market.

The haul, like many before it, was headed for ports that funnel wildlife products into East Asia’s traditional medicine trade.

Conservation groups say Asian populations are now so depleted that smugglers have turned to African species, pushing all eight named pangolins toward either endangered or critically endangered status.

With each seizure measured in tons rather than ounces, forensic labs increasingly rely on rapid genetic barcoding to tell Chinese, Sunda, Indian, and now Indo Burmese scales apart.

Missing pieces to the puzzle

Skeletal measurements of ear to snout length, scale ridge counts, and body mass are still scarce for the Indo-Burmese pangolin.

Researchers have launched field surveys in Arunachal Pradesh and northern Myanmar to find living animals before logging and farms erase their habitat.

Nuclear DNA, which tracks both parents, is being sequenced to confirm whether there is any gene flow with neighboring Chinese or Indian pangolins.

Those data will settle whether the lineage is ancient and isolated or simply a divergent regional population.

Finally, a historical literature review is under way to locate every early pangolin mention that might match the Indo Burmese form. Taxonomy moves slowly, but without this detective work lawmakers cannot draft airtight protections.

What comes next for protection

Advocates urge governments to fast track the new name into national wildlife acts and to submit a proposal for full CITES Appendix I coverage at the next conference of parties.

Expanding rural patrols along known trafficking routes through India’s Siliguri Corridor and Myanmar’s border towns could also plug immediate leaks.

Longer term, researchers hope to satellite tag any rescued individuals to map home ranges, breeding sites, and seasonal movements.

Those maps would help local communities balance forest use with the needs of an elusive ant eater that prefers to live alone and under cover.

The Indo Burmese pangolin’s debut reminds us that even in 2025, large mammals can still hide in plain sight when politics, night habits, and the illegal wildlife trade collide.

Whether the ninth pangolin gains its own place in the law, or vanishes before we finish the paperwork, now depends on how quickly science, policy, and policing meet on the same page.

The study is published in Mammalian Biology.

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