P is for Pangolins (Folktales of Endangered Species)

Welcome to the 2020 A to Z blogging challenge! This year my theme is Folktales of Endangered Species. I am researching cool traditional stories about rare, fascinating animals - to raise awareness of what we might lose if we don't get our collective shit together. Enjoy!

Image from here

Species: Tree pangolin (Phataginus tricuspis), Giant pangolin (Smutsia gigantea)

Status: Endangered

Okpwa wins Pangolin's daughter

Bulu folktale

Pangolin announces that he will give his beautiful daughter as a wife to whoever can best tell the time of dusk and dawn. Pangolin, you see, is nocturnal, and he wants to know when he can set out to eat and when he should head back home before dawn. Several animals try to tell the time correctly, but none of them succeed. Nkulengui, the rail bird, for example chatters for a while at dusk but then falls asleep, and makes Pangolin mistake the time. Nothing quite works out.

Eventually, Okpwa (scaly spurfowl, Pternistis squamatus) decides to try too. He flies up into a tree at dusk, and chatters for a short while, waking up Pangolin who heads into the forest to eat some ants. Pangolin feasts on little black ants until dawn is about to break, at which point Okpwa begins chattering again. Just as Pangolin reaches his home the first light of dawn appears - the timing was impeccable. Okpwa wins the contest and marries Pangolin's daughter; ever since then he has been marking the time of dusk and dawn for the entire forest (and especially pangolins) to hear. 

Sources: Read the story here.

How can I help?

Read about conservation efforts here, here, here, here, or here.

The spurfowl usually signals dawn between 4 and 5 o'clock in the morning. Is that a good time to wake up? Or to go to bed? Are you nocturnal like a pangolin?