SEVERAL ANIMALS

I thought we would take a look at animals that are unique to the Philippines, animals that generally don’t live anywhere else in the world but the Philippines. Oh, it is possible that you may find a few in places like Indonesia or Malaysia, but the vast majority of the population of these animals are found only in the Philippines. I have to mention that 98 % of all the animals are living in the forest and most of them are only active at nighttime. Let’s have a look! Philippine Eagle. Also known as the Monkey Eating Eagle. There was a time, 20 years ago or more where there were only a few of these birds left in the world. Today, they could not be said to be thriving, but the population is on the increase, largely due to the efforts of the Philippine Eagle Center right in Davao. For nearly 20 years the Philippine Eagle Center (operated by the Philippine Eagle Foundation) has been breeding Philippine Eagles in captivity, and later releasing the birds in the wild. The program has been quite successful and has probably been responsible for keeping the Philippine Eagle alive at all. If not for the Philippine Eagle Center the Philippine Eagle probably would have been extinct by now. The Philippine Crocodile. This crocodile is found only in the Philippines as well. It is also known as the Mindoro Crocodile or even the Philippine Freshwater Crocodile. Unfortunately, the Philippine Crocodile is in serious danger of extinction at this time. This crocodile is not to be confused with the Indo-Pacific Crocodile which is also found in the Philippines. The Philippine Crocodile is found only in the Philippines, while the Indo-Pacific Crocodile is common in many countries. Philippine Flying Lemur. One of two species of lemurs that can fly, and this one is found exclusively in the Philippines. This lemur can be found in Basilan, Leyte, Samar, Bohol and Mindanao. The vast majority of the population is in Bohol and Mindanao. The average Philippine Flying Lemur weighs from 2 to 4 pounds. These lemurs are generally considered to be pests, as they eat fruit crops. The Philippine Mouse Deer. This is the world’s smallest hoofed mammal. It can be found on a small island called Balabac, which is south of Palawan. The Philippine Spotted Deer. Can be found on the island of Panay. This deer is considered to be the most endangered deer anywhere in the world. They are very rare. Tamaraw. The Tamaraw is a pygmy version of a Carabao. A carabao is the Philippine name of what westerners would call a water buffalo. If you are interested in seeing pictures of carabao, Shells. Here is something unique and kind of cool, both Tridacna gigas, one of the world’s largest shells, and Pisidum, the world’s tiniest shell, can befound under Philippine waters. The butterfly can be found in most countries in the world, but there tend to be more butterflies in warmer climates. The butterfly is a type of insect that feeds on flower nectar through its long and curled straw-like tongue. Butterflies are similar in appearance and tendencies to moths, with many species of butterfly often getting confused as a moth and moths with butterflies. In general the butterfly species tend to be more brightly coloured than the moth species, but there are exceptions. The butterfly's most reputable characteristic is the fact that there is an incredible morphing process, during the life cycle of the butterfly. The butterfly starts life as a caterpillar, which cocoons itself in a silky thread. The caterpillar emerges from it's time in the pod, with colourful wings. The butterflies in the tropical rain forests of the southern hemisphere, can get to incredible sizes, with the wings of these butterflies displaying some of the brightest colours in the natural world. It has been estimated that there are between 15,000 and 20,000 different species of butterfly in the world as more are constantly being discovered particularly in dense jungle regions that have little contact with humans. The different species of butterfly vary in size and colour as well as the differences in the bright patterns that are displayed on the wings of the butterfly. Butterflies are herbivorous animals as butterflies are known to only eat plant matter with a high sugar content. Butterflies fly between the flowers drinking the nectar through their long tongue which acts as a straw. Whilst doing this, the butterfly transfers pollen between the plants, meaning that the butterfly plays a vital role in the pollination of plants around the world. Due to their small size and colourful wings, butterflies are preyed upon by a number of animals around the world. The main predators of the butterfly include amphibians such as frogs and newts, small reptiles such as lizards and mammals including bats. Butterflies reproduce by the male butterfly inserting his sperm into the pouch of the female butterfly. When the female butterfly is ready to lay her eggs, she performs a kind of self-fertilisation process as when the female releases an egg, it passes the pouch that contains the sperm of the male butterfly and is fertilised. Female butterflies lay around 100 eggs at a time, with some species of butterfly laying their eggs in a cluster (all at one time) and other species of butterfly lay there eggs individually onto numerous different plants. The egg soon hatches as larvae which develops into a caterpillar and then into a butterfly. Butterflies have intrigued and been of one of natures wonders due to their gentle nature and bright colours. Butterflies are commonly used in art and literature around the world and across numerous different cultures. Asian palm civet is a smaller species of civet found throughout the jungles of Asia, and easily recognisable by its dark, coarse hair and large eyes. The Asian palm civet is also known as the common palm civet and the Toddy Cat is areas where the Asian palm civet is natively found. The Asian palm civet is found inhabiting the tropical jungles and rainforests throughout much of Asia. The main populations of the Asian palm civet however are found in southern India, Sri Lanka, South-east Asia and southern China. Unfortunately, Asian palm civets have been drastically affected by increasing deforestation (and therefore habitat loss) in their native regions. The Asian palm civet is widely spread and fairly commonly found throughout much of Asia and despite their cat-like appearance and behaviours, Asian palm civets are not felines at all but are in fact more closely related to other small carnivores including weasels and mongooses. Unlike other civet species the tail of the Asian palm civet does not have rings, but the face of this species is banded like that of a raccoon. The Asian palm civet is solitary animal that only comes out under the cover of night to hunt and catch food. These nocturnal animals are primarily ground-dwelling and highly terrestrial as they mark their ranges by dragging their anal glands along the ground. Despite being predominately ground-dwelling though the Asian palm civet is known to climb up into the trees either in search of food or to hide from approaching predators. The Asian palm civet is a carnivorous animal, and like other species of civet, it survives on a meat-based diet, supplemented by the odd plant or fruit. Small animals such as rodents, lizards, snakes and frogs make up the majority of the Asian palm civet's diet, along with insects and other small creatures scuttling through the under-growth. Asian palm civets are also known to eat the fruits and flowers of palms, mangos and coffee in their natural habitats. Despite being a secretive yet relatively ferocious predatory animal, the Asian palm civet is actually preyed upon by a number of predators within their natural environment. Large predatory cats are the most common predators of the Asian palm civet including tigers and leopards along with reptiles such as large snakes and crocodiles. The female Asian palm civet usually gives birth to up to 4 young after a gestation period that lasts for a couple of months. The babies are weaned by their mother until they are strong enough to fend for themselves. Asian palm civets can live for up to 20 years, although most rarely get to be this old. Today, the Asian palm civet is under threat from deforestation and therefore drastic loss of much of its natural habitat. The main reason for such extensive deforestation in the area is either for logging or to clear the land to make way for palm oil plantations.

(c) Elizabeth Miao