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Cited by 8Physiological and biochemical adaptationsEffects of Environmental Stressors on LivestockThermal Regulation in Medicine

Body temperatures of Manis pentadactyla and Manis javanica

Open access
Yu, Yishuang, Wu, Shibao, Wang, Wenhua, Mahmood, Amna, Zhang, Fuhua·2021·Veterinary Medicine and Science
DOI 10.1002/vms3.611PMC PMC8604104
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Abstract

Body temperature is an important parameter for assessing animal health and physiological function. An iButton thermometer was used to measure the body temperatures of three Chinese pangolins ( Manis pentadacyla ) and three Sunda pangolins ( M. javanica ). The body temperature of Chinese pangolins was 33.2 ± 0.95°C (30.6–34.2°C, n = 3) and that of Sunda pangolins was 32.8 ± 0.48°C (31.7–34.2°C, n = 3). The daily variation in body temperature was 1.0–2.9°C in three Chinese pangolins and 1.2–1.9°C in three Sunda pangolins. The body temperature of Sunda pangolins tended to rise at night, with the highest body temperatures occurring mostly at night. This study provides valuable body temperature data for Chinese and Sunda pangolins and lays the foundation for future research on their mechanisms of body temperature regulation.

AI snapshot

Written from the paper’s full text.

TL;DR

This study measured rectal body temperatures in three Chinese pangolins (*Manis pentadactyla*) and three Sunda pangolins (*M. javanica*) using iButton temperature recorders. Both species had low mean body temperatures relative to typical Eutheria, and the one Sunda pangolin with continuous data showed higher temperatures mostly at night.

Key findings

  • Mean body temperature was 33.2 ± 0.95°C (30.6–34.2°C, n = 3) for Chinese pangolins and 32.8 ± 0.48°C (31.7–34.2°C, n = 3) for Sunda pangolins.
  • Body temperature fluctuations were 1.0–2.9°C in the three Chinese pangolins and 1.2–1.9°C in Sunda pangolin FS06; the paper reports that FS15 and FS18 were not recorded because the iButton dropped.
  • For Sunda pangolin FS06, body temperature tended to rise at night, with highest temperatures mostly at night; accumulated daytime body temperature was 21001.4°C versus 21518.1°C at night.
  • The authors note these temperatures are lower than the 35.0–39.0°C range cited for Eutheria and similar to previous pangolin reports.

Methods

  • Three Chinese pangolins (HS09, GX01, GX02) and three Sunda pangolins (FS06, FS15, FS18) were studied; two Chinese pangolins were kept at the Guangxi rescue center and the others at the South China Normal University pangolin base, with separate enclosures and artificial food/water.
  • Body temperature was measured with a DS1922L temperature recorder every 10 min, placed approximately 3 cm into the rectum; ambient temperature was measured with the same device about 30 cm from the ground.
  • Data were analyzed in Microsoft Excel 2010 and IBM SPSS 19.0, expressed as mean ± SD, with SigmaPlot 12.5 used for a body temperature time-sequence figure.

Limitations

  • The paper does not state a limitations section.
  • Evident from the text: the sample was very small (n = 3 per species), and continuous fluctuation data were available for only one Sunda pangolin (FS06) over 9 consecutive days; FS15 and FS18 were excluded from fluctuation analysis because the iButton dropped.
  • Evident from the text: the Chinese pangolins were kept at different locations with different diets and measured at different ambient temperature ranges (HS09: 22.7–30.5°C; GX01/GX02: 27.4–29.6°C; Sunda pangolins: 25.8–28.5°C), which may affect comparability. The abstract also says daily variation was measured in three Sunda pangolins, while the Results indicate only FS06 had fluctuation data.

Model-written summary. Check it against the paper before relying on it.

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1002/vms3.611

Cites

19 of 19 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Nothing to recompute.

Claims the paper makes

6 of 26 cited sources checked · 0 supported · 1 flagged · accuracy not yet measured

  • Premisecitation

    Previous studies on two African pangolins, Phataginus tricuspis and P. tetradactyla, recorded temperature fluctuations of 2.5°C and 4.5°C, respectively.

    “Previous studies on two African pangolins, Phataginus tricuspis and P. tetradactyla also recorded temperature fluctuations of 2.5°C and 4.5°C, respectively (Jones, 1973).”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim1 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Jones, 1973 source

      In the body-temperature results, Jones assigns the 2.5°C variation to Manis gigantea and the 4.5°C variation to M. tricuspis—the opposite of the claimed value for tricuspis. The paper does not report a fluctuation for P. tetradactyla. (LLM, conf=0.93)

      Checked by a reasoning model — may be wrong.

      Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • Premisecitation

    The body temperature of an animal is closely related to its basal metabolic rate.

    “The body temperature of an animal is closely related to its basal metabolic rate (Chen, 2019).”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim1 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Chen, 2019 source

      Section 1.1 links human body temperature to metabolic activity, stating that body temperature reflects thermal energy generated by metabolism. It does not specifically discuss basal metabolic rate or establish this relationship for animals generally. (LLM, conf=0.84)

      Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • Interpretationreasoning

    The low body temperatures in pangolins are possibly due to the low metabolic rates of the species.

    “The low body temperatures in pangolins are possibly due to the low metabolic rates of species.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim2 of 3 sources checked
    • cites Chen, 2019 source

      Section 1.1 (page unavailable) links human body temperature to heat generated by metabolism, supporting the general physiological connection. The paper does not address pangolins or establish that their low body temperatures may result from low metabolic rates; searches for pangolins and species-specific metabolic rates found no such passage. (LLM, conf=0.77)

      Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
    • cites Kleiber (1932) source

      In “The Theories of the Relation Between Body Size and Metabolism” (p. 14), Kleiber explains that metabolic heat production helps animals maintain body temperature above their surroundings. This supports the proposed mechanism, but the paper does not discuss pangolins or establish that their low body temperatures are due to low metabolic rates. (LLM, conf=0.82)

      Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
    • cites McNab (1984) source
    • Rests on an assumption: Rectal temperature measured by the iButton thermometer approximates the pangolins' core body temperature.
    • Rests on an assumption: The sampled pangolins are representative of healthy Chinese and Sunda pangolins.
  • Findingown data

    The accumulated daytime body temperature of FS06 (21001.4°C) was lower than its accumulated nighttime body temperature (21518.1°C).

    “The accumulated daytime body temperature of FS06 was 21001.4°C which was lower than the accumulated nighttime body temperature (21518.1°C).”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim
    • Rests on an assumption: Rectal temperature measured by the iButton thermometer approximates the pangolins' core body temperature.
  • Findingown data

    The highest body temperatures of Sunda pangolin FS06 occurred mostly at night.

    “with the highest body temperatures occurring mostly at night”
    • Also stated in: § Fluctuations in body temperature · plain
      “The highest body temperature (+1.9°C) of the animals occurred mostly at night (Table 3).”
    • Also stated in: § DISCUSSION · plain
      “Authors found that the highest body temperatures of Sunda pangolin FS06 occurred mostly at night.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim
    • Rests on an assumption: Sunda pangolins are nocturnal mammals and their activity level is highest at night.
    • Rests on an assumption: Rectal temperature measured by the iButton thermometer approximates the pangolins' core body temperature.
  • Classified as probably not a substantial claim. 12
  • May combine two claims. 10
  • The quote only partly states this claim. 1

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.

    Premisecitation

    Pangolins belong to the order Pholidota, lack dense hair, and their bodies are covered with scales.

    “Pangolins belong to the order Pholidota that lacks dense hair and its body covered with scales (Corbet & Hill, 1992; Gaubert & Antunes, 2005; Gaudin et al., 2020).”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim1 of 3 sources checked
    • cites Corbet & Hill, 1992 source

      The contents listing identifies “ORDER PHOLIDOTA: pangolins” (p. 17), supporting the classification. The retrieved passages do not describe pangolins’ hair or scales, so those parts of the claim are unsupported by our copy. (LLM, conf=0.86)

      Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
    • cites Gaubert & Antunes, 2005 source
    • cites Gaudin et al., 2020

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Premisecitation

    Kleiber (1932) suggested that the low body temperature of pangolins is related to their diet, as the diets of Chinese and Sunda pangolins consist primarily of ants and termites.

    “Kleiber (1932) suggested that the low body temperature are related to the diet of pangolins as diets of Chinese and Sunda pangolin consist primarily of ants and termites.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim1 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Kleiber (1932) source

      The passages on temperature and metabolism (Table 1, p. 6; The Theories of the Relation Between Body Size and Metabolism, pp. 13–14) discuss other animals, not pangolins. Searches for Chinese and Sunda pangolins, ants and termites, and a diet-related explanation for low body temperature found no passage addressing the claim. (LLM, conf=0.72)

      Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.

    Findingnone given

    Sunda pangolin FS06 was observed to emerge mainly after 20:00 and was provided with artificial food from 23:00 to 00:00 every day.

    “Sunda pangolin FS06 was observed to emerge mainly after 20:00 and was provided with artificial food from 23:00 to 00:00 every day.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • The quote only partly states this claim.

    Findingown data

    The body temperature of Sunda pangolin FS06 exhibited an upward trend at night.

    “The body temperature of Sunda pangolins tended to rise at night”
    • Also stated in: § Fluctuations in body temperature · plain
      “Figure 1 shows that body temperatures exhibited an upward trend at night.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim
    • Rests on an assumption: Sunda pangolins are nocturnal mammals and their activity level is highest at night.
    • Rests on an assumption: Rectal temperature measured by the iButton thermometer approximates the pangolins' core body temperature.

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Study design and conductown data

    Continuous recording of body temperature for 9 consecutive days was obtained for only one Sunda pangolin (FS06).

    “Continuous recording of body temperature for 9 consecutive days was obtained for only one Sunda pangolin (FS06).”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • May combine two claims.

    Premisecitation

    The daily fluctuation in body temperatures of three Chinese pangolins was 0.5-1.9°C, with the highest body temperature at night and the lowest during the day.

    “The daily fluctuation in body temperatures was 0.5–1.9°C with the highest body temperature occurred at night and the lowest during the day.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Heath, 1987 source

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.

    Study design and conductnone given

    All pangolins were in good health during the study with normal levels of activity, eating and defecating.

    “All pangolins were in good health during the study with normal levels of activity, eating and defecating.”
    • Also stated in: § Study animals · hedged
      “When body temperatures were measured, all pangolins appeared in good physical and mental condition with normal levels of activity, eating and defecating.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Premisecitation

    Mammals are able to maintain stable body temperatures within certain ambient temperature ranges.

    “Mammals are advance endothermal animals that able to maintain stable body temperatures within certain ambient temperature ranges (Yang, 2015).”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Yang, 2015

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.

    Premisecitation

    Heath (1987) collected continuous body temperature data on four Chinese pangolins and found an obvious body temperature fluctuation rhythm, with body temperatures lower during the day than at night, highest around midnight and lowest around noon.

    “Heath (1987) collected continuous body temperature data on four Chinese pangolins and the results show an obvious body temperature fluctuation rhythms. Body temperatures were lower during the day than at night, with the highest temperature around midnight and the lowest around noon.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Heath (1987) source

  • May combine two claims.

    Interpretationown data

    The body temperature fluctuations of the Chinese pangolins measured in this study were as high as 2.9°C, which is greater than the 2.5°C fluctuation recorded for 48 species of Eutheria by Refinetti (2010).

    “The body temperature fluctuations of the Chinese pangolins measured in this study were as high as 2.9°C, that was greater than 48 species of Eutheria recorded by Refinetti (2010) that recorded fluctuation of 2.5°C of its body temperature.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Refinetti (2010)

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

    • Rests on an assumption: Rectal temperature measured by the iButton thermometer approximates the pangolins' core body temperature.
    • Rests on an assumption: The sampled pangolins are representative of healthy Chinese and Sunda pangolins.

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.

    Premisecitation

    Most mammalian species have body temperatures of 36.0-40.4°C, with significant differences among different types of animals.

    “Refinetti (2010) summarised the body temperatures of more than 60 mammalian species and found that most species had body temperatures of 36.0–40.4°C, with significant differences in the body temperatures of different types of animals.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Refinetti (2010)

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  • May combine two claims.

    Premisecitation

    Heath and Hammel (1986) measured the body temperatures of four Chinese pangolins and found their body temperatures were maintained within a range of 33-35°C.

    “Heath and Hammel (1986) measured the body temperatures of four Chinese pangolins (two males and two females) and found that their body temperatures were maintained within a range of 33–35°C.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Heath and Hammel (1986) source

  • Classified as probably not a substantial claim. May combine two claims.

    Premisecitation

    Pangolins are unable to adapt to environmental temperature fluctuation, and captive pangolins are susceptible to pneumonia due to sudden temperature fluctuation.

    “Pangolins are unable to adapt to environmental temperature fluctuation and pangolins kept in captivity are susceptible to pneumonia due to sudden temperature flunctuation (Wang 2012).”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Wang 2012

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Study design and conductown data

    The body temperature fluctuations of pangolins FS15 and FS18 were not recorded because the iButton dropped from these individuals during the study.

    “The body temperature fluctuations of pangolins FS15 and FS18 were not recorded as the iButton dropped from these individuals during the study.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Premisecitation

    The basal metabolic rate of animals is affected by many factors including body weight, phylogeny, diet, climate, season, habits, and reproduction.

    “The basal metabolic rate of animals is affected by many factors including body weight, phylogeny, diet, climate, season, habits, and reproduction (Song & Wang, 2002).”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Song & Wang, 2002

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Premisecitation

    McNab (1984) found the body temperatures of a juvenile male and an adult female Sunda pangolin to be 31.7°C and 32.3°C, respectively.

    “McNab (1984) found the body temperatures of a juvenile male and an adult female Sunda pangolin to be 31.7°C and 32.3°C, respectively.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites McNab (1984) source

  • May combine two claims.

    Premisecitation

    The lack of heat-insulating fur and underdeveloped hair erector muscles hinders the prevention of heat loss and leads to fluctuations of body temperature in pangolins.

    “This hinders the prevention of heat loss and leads to fluctuations of its body temperature (Heath & Hammel, 1986).”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Heath & Hammel, 1986 source
17 of 17

  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Sunda pangolins are nocturnal mammals and their activity level is highest at night.

    “Sunda pangolins are nocturnal mammals, and their activity level is highest at night.”

  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Rectal temperature measured by the iButton thermometer approximates the pangolins' core body temperature.

    “When the pangolin was in a relaxed state, the temperature recorder were placed approximately 3 cm into the rectum to measure the animal's rectal temperature.”

  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The sampled pangolins are representative of healthy Chinese and Sunda pangolins.

    “A total of three Chinese pangolins and three Sunda pangolins were used in this study.”

  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Data on the body temperatures of healthy Chinese and Sunda pangolins have not been established.

    “Data on the body temperatures of healthy Chinese and Sunda pangolins have not been established.”

  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Previous studies have not consistently measured body temperature or daily fluctuations in body temperature.

    “However, previous studies have not consistently measured body temperature or daily fluctuations in body temperature.”
5 of 5

Self-check

Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.

Each contradiction between two passages listed here was confirmed by an independent check.

  • FS06 minimum temperature conflicts across tables

    Minor

    Table 2 reports a temperature of 31.5°C for FS06, below the 31.8°C minimum reported for the same animal in Table 1. It is also below the study's stated overall minimum of 31.7°C for Sunda pangolins.

  • Daily variation attributed to three Sunda pangolins despite missing records for two

    Minor

    The abstract attributes the reported daily-variation range to three Sunda pangolins, but the results say fluctuations were not recorded for FS15 and FS18. Table 2 reports daily ranges only for FS06.

2 of 2

Cites

Flagged first, then by citations

1 of the 20 references couldn’t be matched to a known paper.

Research works printed but not linked: 6

  1. Eisentraut M., 1956, Korpcrtemperaturen bei tropischen Fledermausen und Schuppentieren, Siiugdrrk. Miit., 4, 64
  2. Li L., 2009, Zoology
  3. Liu L., 2009, Gernal Zoology
  4. Sun R., 2001, Animal ecology
  5. Wang H., 2012, Preliminary exploration on the artificial breeding of Manis javanica
  6. Yang Y., 2015, Body temperature and the physiology of thermoregulation

Cited by

Sorted by citations

Related

Authors
Yu, Y., Wu, S., Wang, W., Mahmood, A., & Zhang, F.
Affiliations
South China Normal University (CN)
Corresponding author
  • Wu, Shibao
  • Zhang, Fuhua
ORCID
Venue
Veterinary Medicine and Science
Publisher
Wiley
Published
2021-08-20
Volume
7
Issue
6
Pages
2399-2403
ISSN
2053-1095 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1002/vms3.611
PMC
PMC8604104
OpenAlex
W3193401863
Semantic Scholar
c66a79791c31d957e7fb4eac98a2b14309dc0891
Cited by
8
References
20
Citations by year
2026: 2 · 2024: 1 · 2023: 4 · 2021: 1
FWCI
0.81
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Veterinary Medicine and Science (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
Funders
  • National Natural Science Foundation of China (31572286, 31702029)
  • Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong Province (S2013010013356)
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Ecology › Physiological and biochemical adaptations
  • Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Animal Science and Zoology › Effects of Environmental Stressors on Livestock
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Critical Care and Intensive Care Medicine › Thermal Regulation in Medicine
Keywords
body temperature, Manis pentadactyla, Manis javanica, pangolins, Chinese pangolin, Sunda pangolin, diurnal variation, thermoregulation
MeSH terms
Pangolins, Animals, Body Temperature

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