Current updates on the morphological measurements of the Malayan pangolin (Manis javanica)

Abstract

Abstract. In this study, morphological measurements of the Malayan pangolin, namely body mass, total length, tail length and head-body length, were investigated using samples of confiscated and wild pangolins. A high correlation between body mass and total length, for both male and female pangolins was recorded, with the correlation being much stronger for females (r-value = 0.8535) than males (r-value of 0.6342). A similar trend was found on the correlation between tail length and head-body length for both sexes. In addition, new records were generated for the physical measurements of maximum body mass (13.5 kg), head-body length (79 cm), tail length (72 cm) and total length (140 cm) respectively. Results and findings of this study will contribute to a better understanding of this critically endangered fauna for conservation and husbandry purposes.