Paradise with Strings with pictures

CHAPTER 8

Flora and Fauna

The Philippines supports the world‟s richest and most diverse fauna. Unfortunately it is also
ranked the world‟s number one in the most endangered indigenous species. It has one of the
world‟s highest deforest rates with 85%-90% of tropical forest having already been cleared.

The pressures of overpopulation, poverty, lack of income opportunities and values and the
openness of bio resources have led to habitat destruction through legal and illegal logging,
land conversion and siltation that is severely endangering both flora and fauna in the
Philippines. The forestry is being destroyed at alarming levels causing enormous soil
erosions, increase in flooding and ground water reduction, all impacting on the survival of
wildlife dependent on the forests, not to mention the effects of volcanoes, earthquakes and
typhoons.

Of the 191 species of mammals in the Philippines, 8 are seriously endangered. 194 of the 612
species of birds are endemic to the Philippines with 89 of the 111 species of amphibians and
189 of 270 species of reptiles being only found in the Philippines.

There are almost 21,000 species of insects found in the Philippines with 14,700 unique to this
country as is the case with 305 of 915 species of butterfly.

The flora has just as amazing statistics as its fauna for such a relatively small nation. Some
3,080 of 9,250 plant species are exclusive to the Philippines while 150 species of palms and
700 species of orchid are not to be found anywhere else in the world.

THE PHILIPPINES EAGLE

The most magnificent of all Philippines
creatures is the Philippines Eagle which
is almost extinct. Although most of its
environment has been destroyed,
luckily a key hole of natural habitat still
exists.

The first specimen was collected on

Samar in 1896 by British naturist John

Whitehead and named Pithecophaga

(Monkey eating). It was proclaimed the

Philippines national bird by the then

The Philippines Eagle president Fidel Ramos in 1995. Its
name was changed from Monkey

Eating Eagle to The Philippines Eagle by presidential proclamation to enhance national pride

in this impressive endangered creature. Its sheer, grace and tenuity has made it a prized target

for avid birdwatchers.

The Philippines Eagle is widely considered the most impressive of rain forest life with a

large, deep beak and spiky crest. It's blue, gray eyes make it unique among the world eagles,
adding to this birds arresting countenance.

Featuring a wingspan of almost seven feet and weighing up to 14 pounds, the Philippines
Eagle is one of the largest and most endangered raptors on earth. The Philippines Eagle's
main fare is made up of large snakes, wild cats, monkeys and lemurs. They build their nests
30 meters from the ground in huge trees and raise only one young per year. Although most
young die before attaining maturity, they have the potential of a long life span with one
specimen in an Italian zoo reaching the age of 41 years.

While a breeding pair requires 25 to 50 miles of rain forest to exist, they have adapted to their
diminishing environment but exploding modern development has made it increasingly
difficult for them.

Conservationists and the PEF (Philippines Eagle Foundation) have recognized the eagle‟s
predicament with preservation measures already in place to protect the skimp number of
eagles still surviving. The government of Mati and the PEF has established a 17,300 acre
protected area in the Cabuaya Forest with six more protected areas being planned for over the
next two years in Mindanao. Legislation was recently been past to prohibit hunting of the
Philippines Eagle and to protect their nests.

The PEF had been unsuccessfully attempting to breed birds since 1982 until their first success
in 1995 when Pag-asa (meaning hope) was born. He recently turned 19. The PEF envisaged
at the time that captive birds and those saved following shooting or entrapment would
eventually be released into their regenerated Philippines habitats, although since them many
birds have been found dead shortly following their release.

THE PHILIPPINES MOUSE DEER

One of the most endearing of all endemic
Filipino creatures is the Philippines mouse deer,
Balabac mouse deer as it is sometimes known,
only being found in the forests of Balabac and
neighboring smaller islands Southwest of
Palawan or Pilandok by locals. This lovable
creature with its highly attractive brown and
orange fur color is the smallest hoofed animal on
this planet, standing at a mere 40 centimeters.

The mouse deer is a particularly shy, ruminant

Philippines Mouse Deer is the world’s smallest hoofed creature living mainly on figs and leaves and

animal hiding in burrows beneath trees along the

boundaries between beach and forest areas. Its numbers are endangered due to hunting by
locals for its delectable meat when cooked with a local spice “ogsom” which removes the

wild flavor from the meat. The Pilandok is a major source of protein for local inhabitants

The deer‟s habitat is shared by the python which they have developed a mutual affiliation
with. The locals hunt the mouse deer with dogs and the python will lay in wait when a deer

enters one of its hollows for sanctuary, not for the fare of the deer but for that of the dog that
is hunting them.

THE PHILIPPINES TARSIER MONKEY

Whilst we are talking of small and cute, the 16 millimeter (6.3inch) tall Philippine tarsier
monkey, the size of a human fist, is one of the smallest primates in the world. It is endemic to
the Philippines and is found mainly on the islands of Bohol, Samar, Leyte and Mindanao. Its
fare comprises of live insects, small lizards and birds.

Being nocturnal they have large round eyes
presenting them with exceptional night vision.
Their eye to body ratio is the largest of the
world‟s mammals. As with all species of tarsiers,
their eyes are fixed and are unable to be rotated
in their socket. This is compensated by a neck
that allows their tiny heads to rotate 180 degrees.

The Philippines Tarsier Monkey While the Philippines tarsier monkey is not
considered endangered they are labeled as
targeted by owls. threatened and are becoming increasingly
susceptible to habitation destruction. They are
hunted by humans to be sold illegally as pets,

however their main danger comes from feral cats
and with their nocturnal activities, are often

THE CARABOA

An important part of Filipino life, particularly in farming areas is the carabao or water buffalo
which are well adapted to the hot conditions of the Philippines. When not working they can
be observed wallowing in mud holes dug with their horns, thickly coating their bodies with
mud to protect themselves from the heat and insects.

Although the carabao is not indigenous to the Philippines, having been introduced by Malay
immigrants around 300 BC and Chinese settlers
later, they are endemic to Southeast Asia and are
the Philippines National Animal. Early in the
twentieth century a slightly larger water buffalo
was also imported from Cambodia to work the
local sugar cane fields.

There are more than three million carabao in the

Philippines with 99 percent being owned by small

farmers who develop a deep affection for their

animals, considering them a loyal companion for The Cariboa works from dawn to dusk

life. They are used in all facets of farm life including plowing, milk production and transport.

THE TAMARAW

The only bovine endemic to the Philippines is the critically endangered Tamaraw or Mindoro
Dwarf Buffalo standing at an average of 100-105cm (39-41in). Its most distinctive features
are light facial markings about its snout and striking v-shaped horns.

Fossil discoveries suggest that the Tamaraw once existed in great numbers all over the
archipelago, however now there are just over 300 in existence and only on the island of
Mindoro. It was classified as a sub species of the local carabao until genetic analysis proved
conclusively that it was a species of its own existing nowhere else in the world.

Although the Philippines national animal is
the carabao, the tamaraw, being an entirely
endemic mammal is considered “a source of
national pride” and a national symbol,
appearing on the one peso coin throughout
the 1980‟s.

The tamaraws reduction in numbers from
thousands in the early 1900‟s through habitat
loss and hunting for food to less than 300 in
2007 has initiated the Philippines
government to legislate a number of acts
prohibiting their hunting and killing with
strict penalties and imprisonment for
violations.

The only bovine endemic to the Philippines is the Tamaraw The challenge to save this symbol of national
spirit is great and the battle against extinction

will continue through many organizations, programs and government initiatives in the
attempt to significantly increase the tamaraw numbers in the future.

CROCODILE

The world‟s closest related animal to prehistoric times is the crocodile with stories of these
powerful man eating creatures hovering between fact and fiction. For the most part they are
true.

Two species of crocodile reside in Philippines waters. One is the salt water or Indo-Pacific
crocodile which is the largest of all living reptiles regularly reaching 5.2 meters (17 feet) in
length and weighing up to 1,000 kg. They are now extinct throughout much of Southeast Asia
with small numbers living in India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, however they are surviving in
the Philippines and thriving throughout Northern Australia.

The other, much smaller and critically endangered Mindoro crocodile or Philippine
freshwater crocodile is endemic to the Philippines. Growing to a maximum length of 1.5
meters (4.9 feet) only about 250 now exist in lakes, rivers and marshy areas mainly on
Mindoro, Palawan, Masbate, Negros, Samar and Mindanao when they were once found all
over the Philippines.

This species of crocodile, found nowhere else in the world has also been thrust toward
extinction by loss of habitat from a rapidly increasing human population. They have been
protected under government legislation since 2001 with The Crocodile Conservation Society
of the Philippines and the Zoological Institute of Herpaworld developing breed and release
programs. Thirty six yearling freshwater crocodiles were released into the wild on Siargao
Island in 2013 with the hope that they would enrich the dwindling population in the
Philippines.

The endemic Mindoro Crocodile

BUTAAN LIZARD

Another of the Philippines most unique reptiles and one of the rarest in the world is the Grays
Monitor or Butaan Lizard. Only residing in 2,000 square kilometers of Luzon, Catanduanes
and Pollilio it is considered vulnerable. Philippines zoos have been successfully breeding the
Grays monitor for a number of years with only one
ever being bred outside of the Philippines in 1994, at a
Dallas zoo in the United States.

Although there are many closely related species, the Butaan Lizard or Greys Monitor
huge 180cm (5.9 feet), fruit eating and extremely timid
Greys monitor is endemic to the Philippines and the

largest lizard in all of Asia.

PALAWAN TURTLE

The largest turtle in the Philippines and endemic to the
islands is the Philippines Forest Turtle or Palawan
Turtle. It is also known as the Leyte Pond Turtle, which
is a misnomer as it is not found on the island of Leyte.
They are only exist on Palawan and are native to that
group of islands.

The species was thought to have been wiped out during
World War II and believed to be extinct when searches
for the turtle on Leyte were fruitless in 1988. In 2001 an

Palawan Turtle

endemic wildlife assessment program carried out on Palawan discovered that a healthy
population still existed there.

As far as turtles go, they are an extremely attractive species with a yellow line running across
the head between the ear cavities leading to it being nicknamed the “bow-tie turtle.” While
their populace is waning acutely, they still survive in large numbers in creeks on the island of
Dumaran.

FISH

Lying in the center of the Coral Triangle, the two million square kilometers of tepid
Philippines waters hold 20% of the world‟s marine life. With over 240 species of fish
residing there, including Tuna, Mackerel, Barracuda, Swordfish, Marlin and Mahi Mahi, it is
one of the world leaders in fish production.

The fresh waters of the Philippine‟s rivers and dams are home to 330 families of fish which
includes nine endemic to the Philippines with many restricted to solitary lakes such as the
freshwater sardine which is found nowhere else in the world except the Taal Lake in
Batangas, Luzon. However, the establishment of Tilapia, the most consumed fresh water fish
in the Philippines, and water contamination has led to the extinction of all 18 endemic species
in Lake Lanao, Mindanao.

The country‟s largest lake, covering 94,900 hectares, Laguna de Bay, east of Manila, has
witnessed the demise of 17 indigenous fish species since the erection of the Napindan
hydraulic Control Structure which effectively halted the influx of salt water into the lake from
Manila Bay. Of twenty three fish species once prevalent in the lake only 6 remain, most
notable being Tilapia and Milk Fish, neither of which are indigenous to the Philippines.

While government measures are in place for the protection of native fish and endemic
species, it is too little too late for a great many of them.

As with its fauna, the Philippines have one of the most diverse flora populations in the world.
While there are no endemic plant families in the Philippines, at least 3,000 of the 9,250 plant
species are indigenous with their origin being traced back to the Philippines. Gingers,
orchids, palms and the endangered dipterocarps are high in endemic species.

For instance, 150 species of palms exist in
the Philippines with 100 of those only found
in this country and of 1000 species of
orchid, 700 are unique to its environment.

The dipterocarps family of trees, growing to
heights of up to 80 meters and with 45
species endemic to the Philippines, was
once prevalent in the county‟s forests. They
were a chief supplier of timber with 75% of
timber produced in the Philippines being
taken from the dipterocarps by 1990. This
along with the fact that they are very hard to reproduce, not flowering until 18 years old, has
made some species almost extinct.

The Philippines government and many conservation groups have recognized the plight of
much of the Philippines flora and fauna with legislation to protect and programs to replenish

Leguna De Bay

species that are endangered for future generations of Filipinos.

EPILOGUE

The Filipino people are often castigated by foreigners who refuse to recognize the culture by
which the Filipino people have been raised with. While it can be frustrating to many and
difficult for people who have not been raised in a third world country to understand, it is their
culture and works remarkably well for them and their poverty stricken lifestyle. It is not for
us to criticize or try to change, moreover it is for us to fit in with and try to understand or
move out. This is a sentiment heard from residents of all other nations to immigrants to their
native countries. It is often said that when a person comes to our country they are to live
under our laws and culture and the same should be said for people coming to the Philippines.
The fact remains and the proof is evident that they are a highly intelligent, resourceful and
athletic race of people, although with a logic that is hard to grasp by foreigners, none the less
a logic that works for them in their situation.
A famous adage is „Do unto others as you would have them do unto you” and this is also true
in the Philippines. Treat the Filipino with respect and understanding and you will definitely
receive the same from them.
In finishing I will say that in spite of everything, I believe that the Philippines is a great
nation with wonderful people and an intensely interesting history.

Research
Wikipilipinas
Wikipedia
Encyclopedia Britannica
Philippines Government