The endangered pangolin species remain under threat in China despite a clampdown on eating wild animals amid the coronavirus outbreak, campaigners have warned.

Consumption of the animal has been made illegal in a country where pangolin meat is considered a delicacy, as authorities work to contain the spread of the deadly virus believed to have originated in a seafood market in Wuhan.

The Chinese pangolin — which is considered critically endangered — has been included in the ban on eating all wildlife.

However, campaigners have warned that the consumption of the scaly mammals is not the “main threat” to the species.

Dr Teresa Telecky, vice president of wildlife for animal welfare NGO Humane Society International, told The Independent: “While pangolins are consumed for their meat as a delicacy, their scales are consumed as medicine.”

Pangolins: 8 things you didn't know about these 'scaly anteaters' Show all 8 1 /8 Pangolins: 8 things you didn't know about these 'scaly anteaters' Pangolins: 8 things you didn't know about these 'scaly anteaters' A pangolin in Indonesia When they feel threatened, pangolins curl up into a defensive ball. Their scales are made from keratin (the same material as rhino horns and human nails) AFP/Getty Images Pangolins: 8 things you didn't know about these 'scaly anteaters' Rescued baby pangolin When in this position the pangolin is too big for a lion or hyena to get its mouth arnd get a grip - and the scales are too tough to penetrate Pangolins: 8 things you didn't know about these 'scaly anteaters' The ground pangolin The name pangoling comes from the Malayan dialect word for 'pengguling' meaning 'something that rolls up Pangolins: 8 things you didn't know about these 'scaly anteaters' A hand-reared baby pangolin Pangolins are also nocturnal and are only active for between four and eight hours each night, hunting for ant nests and termite mounds REX/Maria Diekmann Pangolins: 8 things you didn't know about these 'scaly anteaters' A baby pangolin clinging to its mother Pangolin have no teeth but their claws are hard enough to dig through concrete. They also have a long, pencil-thin tongue that can probe into a nest for 16 inches REUTERS Pangolins: 8 things you didn't know about these 'scaly anteaters' The Malaysian pangolin Pangolins are either ground-dwelling (and spend most of their time in burrows) or arboreal (and hang out in nests in trees AFP/Getty Images Pangolins: 8 things you didn't know about these 'scaly anteaters' A long-tailed pangolin Unfortunately, the pangolin's defensive curl is no help with human predators, who simply pick up the animal without any fuss REX Pangolins: 8 things you didn't know about these 'scaly anteaters' A rescued pangolin Of the eight pangolin species, three are in danger - the ground, Chinese, and Sunda pangolins REUTERS

She said: “While the new ban should stop the eating of pangolins, it will not stop the farming and trade of pangolin scales, which is the main threat to the eight species of pangolins.”

Dr Telecky said it was “unclear” how the consumption ban would affect the animals, whose population is decreasing across China, according to the IUCN.

Chinese researchers have linked pangolins to the spread of the new coronavirus, which has infected nearly 80,000 people to date.

However, their claim has been challenged by other scientists across the globe.

Pangolins are a protected species in China, and laws already restricted their trade before the new ban on the trade of all wild animals for consumption.

However, they remain in high demand across the country, where they are traded on the black market.

China announced a clampdown on its citizens eating wild animals — including badgers, turtles and pangolins — last week, as the country battles its coronavirus outbreak.

Dr Telecky from HSI said: “We welcome China’s ban on consumption of wild animals as food as it will save hundreds of thousands of animals each year from cruel treatment in this trade, assuming the ban is strongly implemented and enforced."