Eye of the Pangolin – Pangolin.Africa (2019)

The etymological origin of the name pangolin comes from the Malay word pengguling. It means “one who rolls up”. The animal has at least eight species with a wide geographical distribution ranging from Africa to Indian subcontinent and southeast Asia including Malayan Archipelago and Indonesia. Unfortunately we know very little about this highly elusive animal and its existence is under threat.

Scaly anteaters are quite unusual among mammals since their skin is covered by large and overlapping keratinized scales hugely resembling the movie character Godzilla. We have lots to learn from the scaly anteaters. For instance, their genome sequences have revealed a few genes that have appeared to have lost their functions and became pseudogenes. Biologists suspect that these genes may be some of the lead players in scaly anteaters distinct appearance (phenotype). These include interferon epsilon gene (IFNE), important in skin and mucosal immunity; ENAM, the enamelin gene codes the largest protein in the tooth enamel needed for healthy tooth development; amelogenin gene (AMELX) – this gene is located on both of the human sex chromosomes X and Y but mostly active on X – and ameloblastin gene (AMBN). The scaly anteaters are insectivorous and lack teeth. Psedogenization of the three tooth development related genes may explain why the animal has evolved to be this way. Pseudogenization of interferon epsilon gene is also quite striking. This gene is largely involved in viral immunity and may explain why the scaly anteaters are a suitable host for a number of viruses including corona viruses.

When COVID-19 outbreak due to the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 took place initial search for viral origins focused on snakes. Scientists thought the new corona virus could be recombinant of a bat and a snake virus. This wasn’t a farfetched idea for biologists since snakes can hunt and eat bats in nature.

The scaly anteater received a huge amount of attention when scientists found evidence that the COVID-19 pandemic may have started by a corona virus (SARS-CoV-2) that has recombined inside scaly anteaters that are illegally traded and smuggled to China. These animals are sold in live animal markets such as the one in Wuhan. At least two studies comparing genome sequences of corona viruses circulating in pangolins have found evidence towards this end:

The proximal origin of SARS-CoV-2
Probable Pangolin Origin of SARS-CoV-2

The COVID-19 pandemic started in a live wildlife market located in Wuhan. These markets provide an environment where animals collected illegally from different parts of the world and kept in close proximity in unhygienic conditions. Animals that could never come together in nature provide an extraordinarily rare opportunity for viruses to jump from one host to another. Therefore intense interactions among bats, snakes and pangolins is highly possible and as experienced is very dangerous. The following video introduces us to historical origins of the tradition of wildlife markets in China and how they became institutionalized by government support.