Brent Stirton

南非,蓋帝圖像,刊載於《國家地理雜誌》

自然生態 系列 第二名

一隻南非穿山甲從走私者手中被救出後,在辛巴威哈拉雷附近重新學習覓食。

穿山甲是有鱗狀皮的哺乳類動物,雖然有時被誤認為是爬行動物,但與食蟻獸或犰狳相比,牠們與狗和熊的親緣關係更為相近。牠們的棲地遍及亞洲和部分非洲地區。穿山甲的鱗片在某些亞洲國家是極為珍貴的傳統藥材,同時人們也視牠的肉為佳餚。據估計,在過去十年中,至少有一百萬隻穿山甲被盜獵。總計八種穿山甲均為保育物種,其中兩種極度瀕危。

Brent Stirton

South Africa, Getty Images, for National Geographic

Nature 2nd Prize Stories

A Temminck’s pangolin learns to forage again, near Harare, Zimbabwe, after being rescued from traffickers.

Pangolins are scaly-skinned mammals, and while sometimes mistaken for reptiles, they are more closely related to dogs and bears than anteaters or armadillos. They range through Asia and parts of Africa. Pangolin scales are highly prized in some Asian countries for traditional medicine, and the meat is considered a delicacy. At least one million pangolins are estimated to have been poached in the last ten years. All eight pangolin species are protected, and two are critically endangered.