190-Year-Old DNA Reveals New Himalayan Pangolin Species

A pangolin specimen that has sat on a museum shelf in London for nearly 190 years has helped scientists confirm a new species: the Himalayan pangolin, Manis aurita. The findings, published August 26, 2026, in the journal Communications Biology, settle a taxonomic debate that began when British naturalist Brian Houghton Hodgson first described the animal in 1836 — a description that was largely overlooked for nearly two centuries.

An international team of roughly 20 researchers from 12 institutions across seven countries, including Narayan Prasad Koju of Nepal Engineering College and Kai He of Guangzhou University, spent more than five years gathering evidence. The investigation began after seized, smuggled pangolin scales near the Myanmar border revealed two distinct genetic lineages, prompting parallel studies in Nepal and China. Researchers ultimately sequenced 55 full pangolin genomes and 70 partial mitochondrial genomes, and examined 44 skulls and 26 skins from museum collections.

The critical piece of evidence came from the Natural History Museum in London, where scientists extracted DNA from Hodgson's original 1836 type specimen and matched it against modern samples. The Himalayan pangolin is distinguished from its close relative, the Chinese pangolin, by a bigger body, a longer tail, and smaller ears, and it ranges across the Himalayan foothills of Nepal, northeastern India, and western Myanmar.

Pangolins are considered the world's most trafficked mammal, prized for their scales in traditional medicine markets. Researchers say formally recognizing Manis aurita gives conservationists and law enforcement a genetic tool to trace seized, trafficked scales back to the specific species and region they came from, helping target anti-poaching efforts and guide reintroduction programs. Scientists say the newly recognized species likely qualifies as critically endangered, and note that surviving populations show signs of inbreeding that could threaten their long-term resilience.