The small, scaly, and highly endangered pangolin has been keeping a secret: it comprises not eight species but nine, with a new one discovered through analysis of confiscated scales.
Scientists previously believed there were four Asian and four African varieties of the shy, nocturnal creature, which is often described as the world's most trafficked mammal.
More than a million are believed to have been poached from the wild in the decade to 2014, according to conservationists, and all international trade has been banned since 2016.family might be bigger than believed. They found a lineage"distinct from all eight currently known pangolin species", with signs it belonged to the Asian or"Manis" branch of the pangolin family.
The newly described animal's existence only came to light through samples seized from traffickers, and the research suggests the new species is already under pressure.
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