Researchers Revalidate Himalayan Pangolin

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Researchers Revalidate Himalayan Pangolin

Environment
Researchers Revalidate Himalayan Pangolin

Researchers revalidate the Himalayan pangolin as a distinct extant species, separate from the Chinese pangolin (Manis pentadactyla). The study cites extensive genomic and morphological evidence and reports its restricted distribution in the southern Himalayan foothills.

Himalayan Pangolin (Manis aurita): 

Dimension Key Details
Scientific name Manis aurita.
Family All pangolins belong to Family Manidae.
Type It is a cryptic, nocturnal, scaly ant-eating mammal.
Species status Extensive genomic and morphological evidence suggests it is a distinct extant species, previously classified as a subspecies of the Chinese pangolin (Manis pentadactyla).
Distribution It is restricted to the southern Himalayan foothills, with confirmed populations in Nepal, South Tibet, and Northeast India, including the state of Assam.
Morphological comparison with Chinese pangolin It is significantly larger in body size and skull, is larger on average (95.2 cm) compared to 71.2 cm for the Chinese pangolin, and has smaller ears and a shorter and broader nasal bone.
Divergence factor (study) Climate change played a key role in diverging the two lineages approximately 1.8 million years ago during the early Pleistocene Epoch.
Demographic finding (study) Around the 14th century, it undergoes a sharp demographic collapse due to intense cooling and aridification.
China comparison (climatic context) Unlike the Chinese pangolin, which benefits from stable maritime-influenced forests in southern China, Manis aurita lacks climatic buffering, faces habitat instability, and undergoes long-term decline.
IUCN status It has not been separately assessed by the IUCN.
CITES status It is listed in Appendix I.
WPA, 1972 status It is listed in Schedule I.
Threats Threats comprise illegal wildlife trade for meat, organs, skin, scales, and other body parts valued for use in traditional medicine, and internal threat of inbreeding.
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Q 1 / 4

With reference to the morphological comparison between the Himalayan pangolin and the Chinese pangolin, consider the following statements:

1. The Himalayan pangolin is significantly larger in body size and skull.
2. The Himalayan pangolin has smaller ears and a shorter and broader nasal bone.
3. The Chinese pangolin is larger on average in body length than the Himalayan pangolin.

Which of the statements given above are correct?