What is the principal threat driving the severe population decline across all pangolin species?
Answer
Illegal wildlife trade, driven by demand for scales in traditional medicine and poaching for bushmeat.
Pangolins are the most trafficked wild mammal globally; the primary demand drivers are their scales, which are wrongly believed to have curative properties, and their meat.
Related Questions
Which unique classification element places the pangolin in a singular position among mammals?What is the composition of a pangolin's protective scales?What primary physiological traits confirm a pangolin's membership in the Class Mammalia?What evolutionary concept explains the superficial similarity between pangolins and unrelated scaly animals like armadillos?What are the believed closest living relatives to the Order Pholidota within the mammalian tree of life?How does the attachment of pangolin scales differ from the armor of armadillos?What is the principal threat driving the severe population decline across all pangolin species?What is the primary defensive strategy employed by nearly all pangolin species when they feel threatened?What distinction exists between African and Asian pangolin species regarding their hind feet structure?What is the derivation of the scientific order name *Pholidota*?How many recognized species comprise the Order *Pholidota*?