Smutsia

African ground pangolin (Smutsia - "Smuts's animal") is a genus of pangolins from subfamily Smutsiinae within family Manidae. It was formerly considered a subgenus of genus Manis.^[4] Its members are the more terrestrial of the African pangolins.^[5] In the past, this genus was also present in Europe.^[6]

Smutsia Temporal range: 9.78–0 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N Late Miocene - present[1]
Pangolins from genus Smutsia
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Pholidota
Family:	Manidae
Subfamily:	Smutsiinae Gray, 1873[2]
Genus:	Smutsia Gray, 1865[3]
Type species
Smutsia gigantea Illiger, 1815
Species
S. gigantea (Illiger, 1815) S. temminckii (Smuts, 1832) †S. olteniensis (Terhune, 2021)
Smutsia gigantea   Smutsia temminckii
Synonyms
synonyms of subfamily: Smutsiana (Gray, 1873) Smutsiini (Gray, 1873)

Description

The Smutsia species can be easily distinguished due to a layer of protective horny scales covering their long streamlined bodies, small cone-shaped heads, and thick tails. Resembling artichoke leaves, the scales are composed of fused hairs. When threatened, members of the species roll into an impenetrable ball, leaving the sharp, yellow-brown scales exposed to the predator.

Diet and nutrition

Ground pangolins are carnivorous animals which mainly eat termites and ants, though larvae and other soft-bodied insects are also consumed on occasion.

Mating life

Ground pangolins reach sexual maturity at around 5–7 years of age. The species is described as polygynous: one male will mate with multiple females, but females tend to mate with only a single male. The gestation period lasts for 139 days, with each pregnancy yielding a single offspring. Mothers and their young shelter underground until the pups reach 2 to 4 weeks of age, at which stage they are carried outside the nest, though they remain with their mothers for 3 months.

Etymology

British naturalist John Edward Gray named Smutsia for South African naturalist Johannes Smuts (1808–1869),^[7][8] the first South African to write a treatise on mammals in 1832 (in which he described the species Manis temminckii).

Taxonomy

• Subfamily: Smutsiinae (Gray, 1873) (large African pangolins)
  • Genus: Smutsia (Gray, 1865) (African ground pangolin)
    • Smutsia gigantea (Illiger, 1815) (giant pangolin)
    • Smutsia temminckii (Smuts, 1832) (ground pangolin)
    • †Smutsia olteniensis (Terhune, 2021)^[9]

Phylogeny

Phylogenetic position of genus Smutsia within family Manidae^{[10][11][12][1]}

Pholidotamorpha	†Palaeanodonta Pholidota †Euromanis ? †Pholidota sp. (BC 16’08) †Eurotamanduidae Eupholidota †Eomanoidea Manoidea †Patriomanidae ? †Necromanis Manidae Maninae ? †Manidae sp. (DPC 3972 & DPC 4364) Smutsiinae Phatagininae Smutsiinae Smutsia Smutsia gigantea †Smutsia olteniensis Smutsia temminckii sensu stricto african clade sensu lato sensu stricto
(Pholidota sensu lato)

See also

• Mammal classification
• Manidae