Compared to other species, little is known of M. javanica reproduction.
They usually give birth to one young, occasionally two. The scales are soft at birth but harden on the second day (Nowak, 1999). Births are thought to occur during February to March or August to October (Banks, 1949).
Young cling to base of mother’s tail, using their claws to hook under scales of the tail. Female pangolins roll up into a ball with their offspring enclosed in the centre in order to protect them from danger (Banks, 1949).