- Passage-1: My Nephew
- Passage-2: Bu-cola
- Passage-3: Yusri and Yusra
- Passage-4: Mother
- Passage-5: Pangolins
- Passage-6: Earthquakes
- Passage-7: When Your Time Comes
- Passage-8: Collecting Fossils
- Passage-9: The Bicycle
- Passage-10: The Egg and the Bottle
- Passage-11: Sasha’s Night Alone
- Passage-12: About The Cat
- Passage-13: Isle Of Jormuguar
- Passage-14: Shoes: Taking One Step at A Time
Passage 5 - Pangolins
Read the following passage carefully.
[1]
There are many weird and wonderful animals to be found on Borneo island in South East Asia. There is the proboscis monkey with its long nose and round belly, giant stick insects over half a metre long, and even a frog (Barbourula kalimantanensis) that breathes through its skin! But one of the strangest and rarest of Borneo’s creatures is the pangolin.
[2]
Pangolins are mammals that feed on ants and termites. They are well equipped to do this, having a long snout, sharp claws and a sticky tongue. They raid ant and termite nests by digging in with their claws, pushing their snout inside and licking up the insects. Pangolins also have special muscles that enable them to close their nostrils and ears very tightly to keep insects out during these raids. Occasionally, they eat other things such as bee larvae, flies, worms and crickets, but ants and termites make about 75% of a pangolin’s diet. On average, an adult pangolin eats around 70 million ants and termites a year!
[3]
The body of a pangolin is covered with brown scales, which explains why they are also known as ‘scaly anteaters’. The scales are thick and strong and act like armour to protect the animal from attack. The word pangolin actually comes from the Malay word ‘penguling’, meaning ‘to roll up into a tight ball’ – which is what a pangolin does when it senses danger. Curled up like this, the tough scales on the outside protect it from predators.
[4]
Being nocturnal, pangolins are most active at night and have poor eyesight. They rely on their excellent sense of smell to find their way around and locate food. They enjoy water and are strong swimmers. Most types of pangolins are good at climbing, using their sharp claws to pull themselves up and their long tail to maintain balance. An adult pangolin can grow up to a metre long and weigh 30 kilogrammes. Males are normally larger than females, and some species are bigger than others. In Brunei, the dominant species is the Sunda Pangolin.
[5]
Most pangolin species dig deep burrows. A burrow usually consists of several chambers, or rooms, sometimes so large that a man could fit inside. Inside their burrow, pangolins sleep during the day and nest during the breeding season. Females normally give birth to a single offspring. Babies are about six inches long and 300 grams at birth. Their scales are soft and pale, but begin to harden almost immediately. Pangolin mothers sleep curled around their young, providing both warmth and protection. Young pangolins feed on their mother’s milk for up to four months, but start eating ants and termites after about one month when they begin to accompany their mother outside the burrow, often riding on her tail as she searches for food.
[6]
Unfortunately, however, a pangolin’s scales cannot protect it from man and large numbers are hunted or trapped every year. About a million pangolins have been killed by humans over the last ten years – mainly a delicacy, while their scales are mistakenly believed to have medicinal powers. Because of this, all eight species of pangolin found across Asia and Africa are seriously endangered and threatened with extinction. Yet, while it is illegal to hunt or sell pangolins, poachers continue to do so.
Questions
Answer the following questions.
From paragraph 1
(1) What kind of animal is Barbourula kalimantanensis?
From paragraph 3
(2) What does a pangolin do when it is afraid?
From paragraph 4
(3) What type of pangolin are you most likely to see in Brunei?
From paragraph 5
(4) What do pangolins do in their burrows? Give 2 details.
From paragraph 6
(5) Which single word in this paragraph shows that what some people think about pangolins are is wrong?
From the whole passage
(6) Why are pangolins also known as ‘scaly anteaters’? Give 2 details.
Answer Scheme
(1) A Barbourula kalimantanensis is a frog that can breathe through its skin.
(2) A pangolin rolls up into a tight ball when it is afraid.
(3) The Sunda Pangolin is most likely to be seen in Brunei
(4) Pangolins sleep in their burrows during the day
Pangolins nest in their burrows during the breeding season
(5) The word is ‘mistakenly’.
(6) Pangolins mainly feed on ants and termites, just as anteaters do.
The body of a pangolin is covered with brown scales.
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