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The Scale of the Trade: Determining a Pangolin’s Date-of-Death Using F¹⁴C

Barr E¹, Wood R^1,2, Meagher P³, Fallon S¹

¹The Australian National University, Canberra, Australia, ²University of Oxford, Oxford, England, ³Taronga Conservation Society, Sydney, Australia

In wildlife forensics, it is important to know when an animal was killed to aid in the prosecution of traders and to gain a deeper understanding of the mechanisms of the trade. Such is the case for the pangolin (Manidae), a scaly mammal considered to be the most highly trafficked animal in the world. Pangolins are often poached for their hard, cornified scales that are used commonly in traditional medicines. Our study attempts to analyse F¹⁴C of keratin across a scale using accelerator mass spectrometry to determine an animal’s date of death. We have developed an improved understanding of how the scale grows and propose the most effective method for producing a chronology is to take a series of samples proximal-distally down the scale. This assumes the proximal apex of the scale is the oldest tissue and that the distal attachment point to the epidermis is the most recent tissue and will provide the closest value to a date of death. We investigate whether results could be skewed by a reservoir effect created by the termites in a pangolin’s diet, if the termites are feeding on old-carbon within decaying wood. By developing an effective method to determine the date of death of an animal from their scales alone, we may be able to better prosecute illegal traders and interrupt the current momentum driving pangolins towards extinction.