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July 24th 2008

Half of Philippine fauna nearly extinct

Philippine eagle

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources in the Philippines has recently announced that more than 50% of the country’s endemic mammals, birds and amphibians are facing extinction, with over 500 species currently considered threatened or verging on the brink of extinction.

A patchwork of over 7,000 islands, the Philippines is a unique and stunning country, with 1,137 animal species that are found no where else in the world. Sadly, the Philippines is also renowned for its incredibly threatened ecosystems. The remarkable biodiversity of the islands has been greatly impacted by extensive commercial logging, which has destroyed vast swathes of forest. In recent years, timber exports from the Philippines have decreased, but rather than being the result of conservation actions, this is principally because there is little left to export. The impact of deforestation is now being replaced with the imminent threat of an increase in mining, and even in protected areas, the habitat and wildlife are threatened by human settlements and agriculture.

While this paints a rather grim picture, there is hope for this tropical Asian archipelago if effective conservation action is urgently implemented. Here are just some of the fascinating animals inhabiting the Philippines, which would greatly benefit from rapid conservation action:

The tamaraw (Bubalus mindorensis) is the largest mammal native to the Philippines, and also has the distinction of being one of the rarest mammals in existence. It is known to inhabit dense vegetation, often close to rivers, and marshy areas or grasslands near areas of forest.

The Philipine eagle (Pithecophaga jefferyi) is the world's largest eagle and one of the most threatened. This impressive raptor can live to between 30 and 60 years of age.

The most notable feature of the extraordinary looking Philippine tarsier (Tarsius syrichta) is its enormous eyes; tarsiers have the biggest eyes relative to their body weight of any mammal. As well as huge eyes, the Philippine tarsier has large, membranous ears set on its rounded head.

image: Southern giant slender-tailed cloud rat

The southern giant slender-tailed cloud rat (Phloeomys cumingi), with its long, furry tail and large eyes, is a charming, shy, squirrel-like animal. Equally at home high amongst the branches of a tree as on the forest floor, the southern giant slender-tailed cloud rat is a nocturnal, slow-moving animal.

image: Male visayan tarictic head detail

The Visayan tarictic (Penelopides panini) is the smallest hornbill in the Philippines. Interestingly, the bare facial areas of a fledgling male and an adult female have been observed quickly changing from white to blue, and vice versa, though the reason for this remains so far unexplained.

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