Endemic and Endangered Plants & Animals in the Philippines PDF

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ENDEMIC PLANTS & ANIMALS IN THE PHILIPPINES Endemic plants and animals are those that are unique to a specific geographic region. ENDEMIC PHILIPPINE PLANTS/ FLORA 1. Waling-Waling (Vanda sanderiana) 4. Summer Hoya (Hoya Obscura) Waling-waling is endemic to Mindanao in the provinces Hoya obscura ...

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ENDEMIC PLANTS & ANIMALS IN THE PHILIPPINES Endemic plants and animals are those that are unique to a specific geographic region.

ENDEMIC PHILIPPINE PLANTS/ FLORA 1. Waling-Waling (Vanda sanderiana) Waling-waling is endemic to Mindanao in the provinces of Davao, Cotabato, and Zamboanga where it is found on the trunks of dipterocarp trees. It blooms once a year from July to October. It is also called Sander's Vanda, after Henry Frederick Conrad Sander, a noted orchidologist. The orchid is considered to be the "Queen of Philippine flowers" and is worshiped as a diwata by the native Bagobo people.

4. Summer Hoya (Hoya Obscura) Hoya obscura is endemic to the southern part of the island of Luzon. Characterized by medium-sized veined leaves that range from deep green when grown in shade, to a deep reddish color when grown in sunlight. The flowers are pleasantly fragrant, but the scent is described very differently: "a spiced honey fragrance", "a slight hint of lavender perfume", "a fresh cut lemon fruit sour" or "a buttered cinnamon roll fragrance", the scent wafts a considerable distance especially at night.

© D. Baptista © G. Mazza

2. Nepenthes peltata Nepenthes peltata is a tropical pitcher plant known only from the upper slopes of Mount Hamiguitan on the island of Mindanao in the Philippines. It is characterized by a peltate tendril attachment and conspicuous indumentum. The species typically produces ovoid pitchers with a prominent basal crest and large nectar glands on the lower surface of the lid.

5. Jade vine (Strongylodon macrobotrys) Jade vine, emerald vine or turquoise jade vine, is a species of leguminous perennial liana, a native of the tropical forests of the Philippines specifically to Quezon and Rizal. With stems that can reach up to 18 m in length. Its local name is Tayabak. Its flowers normally bloom once a year, around March or April, and last for only two weeks.

© Shailesh Nursery © Edgar Yap

6. Rose Grape (Medinilla magnifica)

3. Rafflesia Philippensis Rafflesia philippensis is a parasitic plant species of the genus Rafflesia that was named by Blanco in his Flora de Filipinas in 1845. The species is known to occur as a small single population within the vicinity of Mount Banahaw National Park. Its fully opened flower has a diameter of 29.332 cm. The open flower has 9-10 reddish perigone lobes measuring 9.0-10.5 cm.

Medinilla Magnifica grows naturally in the humid mountains of the Philippines. It is an epiphyte, which is a plant that grows on trees or other plants. The plant grows up to 3 m tall, with opposite, firm, leathery leaves, which grow to 20–30 cm long in an ovate shape with a short point. The flowers grow in panicles up to 50 cm long, with ovid pink bracts. The individual flowers are up to 25 mm in size, and are pink, red or violet.

© P. Quiles © J. Barcelona

7. Leptosolena haenkei Leptosolena haenkei, endemic to the island of Luzon in the Philippines. The species is very rare. It was seen first and last time by Haenke in 1792. Since then it was thought to be extinct for 213 years until it was rediscovered in the wild in 2005 by the Japanese botanist Funakoshi Hidenobu.

© F. Hidenobu

8. Begonia cabanillasii Begonia cabanillasii is currently known only to occur in El Nido, Palawan. It is among the six Begonia species which are endemic to El Nido. Other species are B. blancii, B. elnidoensis, B. mindorensis Merr., B. suborbiculata, and B. woodii Merr. It can easily be distinguished by its compact rosette growth. It has a unique 5-winged ovary which is the type of characteristic that can only be found in Palawan species

© Phil. Taxonomic Initiative

9. Utricularia heterosepala Utricularia heterosepala is a small carnivorous plant that can be found on the islands of Palawan, Luzon, and Sibuyan. It grows as a subaquatic plant in shallow water or creeks, usually at low to medium altitudes. All Utricularia are carnivorous and capture small organisms by means of bladder-like traps. This species produces shapely pink flowers on long spikes.

10. Cyathea heterochlamydea Cyathea heterochlamydea is a little-known species of tree fern native to the islands of Luzon, Panay, Negros and Mindanao in the Philippines. The trunk of this plant is erect and usually up to 4 m tall or more. The stipe is warty and/or bears short spines and scales. These scales are dark, glossy and have a narrow pale margin.

© L. Co

11. Katmon (Dillenia philippinensis) Katmon is found only in the Philippines, being common in forests of low and medium altitude throughout the islands in primary and secondary forests. It is a mediumsized evergreen tree that grows as high as 10 to 15 meters. The fruit, called "elephant apple", contains a soft, fleshy, green, and edible pulp with a flavor similar to a sour green apple. The tree is harvested for its timber and suitable for furniture and cabinet making. A red dye is can also be obtained from the bark.

© I. Ngoo

12. Balakat (Ziziphus talanai) Ziziphus talanai, with common names are balakat, aligamen, and talanai. Ziziphus talanai is endemic to Luzon and Visayas, in the Philippines, The tree is found in the Philippinean Limestone Forest ecoregion. Studies have shown that the bark does indeed have antimicrobial properties. The city of Mabalacat in Pampanga Province was named after it in 1712, using the indigenous Negrito word mabalacat meaning "forest of balakat."

© L. Co

ENDEMIC PHILIPPINE ANIMALS/ FAUNA Hailed by researchers as home to the highest concentration of unique species per unit area in the world, roughly 33 percent of the country’s plants, 75 percent of its amphibians, 70 percent of its reptiles, and 44 percent of its birds can be found only here in the Philippines.

1. Philippine Tarsier (Carlito syrichta) The Philippine Tarsier is known locally as the Maumag in Cebuano/Visayan and Mamag in Luzon. It is found in the southeastern part of the archipelago, particularly in the islands of Bohol Island, Samar Island, Leyte Island and Mindanao. Its eyes are fixed in its skull; they cannot move in their sockets. Instead, a special adaptation in the neck allows its round head to be rotated 180°. It has thin, rough fur which is colored gray to dark brown.

4. Philippine tree squirrel (Sundasciurus philippinensis) The Philippine tree squirrel and these can only be found on islands such as Palawan in Luzon, Bohol, Leyte and Samar in the Visayas, and in Siargao in Mindanao.It is brown on its back, with a reddish eye ring, a gray to dull orange brown venter, and an annulated tail. It grows to a length of 193 millimeters, and usually weighs up to 244 grams.

© J. Sartore © J.Majuro

2. Philippine flying lemur (Cynocephalus volans) The Philippine flying lemur or Philippine colugo, known locally as kagwang. Although called a flying lemur, it cannot fly and is not a lemur. Instead, it glides as it leaps among trees. Its population is concentrated in the Mindanao region and Bohol. It has a wide head, small ears and big eyes. Its clawed feet are large and webbed for fast climbing and for gliding An average Philippine flying lemur weighs about 1.0 to 1.7 kg and its head-body length is 33–38 cm.

© Flickr @leenrrb

3. Palawan Binturong (Arctictis binturong whitei) The Palawan binturong and Palawan bearcat is endemic to the island of Palawan in the Philippines. It can grow to as much as 1.4 m. Distinguishing characteristics are the ears that are lined with white fur, and long, white whiskers that can be as long as the length of its head. It has coarse, thick black-brown fur. It is an omnivore, feeding on fruit, small animals, and carrion.

© PCSD

5. Visayan leopard cat (Prionailurus javanensis sumatranus) The Visayan leopard cat is endemic to the Philippine islands of Panay and Negros where it inhabits remnant forest fragments. In Cebu, it has also been recorded in sugarcane farms. The fur of the Visayan leopard cat is dark ochre to buffy fawn with large and dark spots. Its skull is a little narrower than of Sumatran leopard cat and Bornean leopard cat.

© J. Sartore

6. Palawan bearded pig (Sus ahoenobarbus) The Palawan bearded pig is a pig species in the genus Sus endemic to the Philippines, where it occurs on the archipelago of islands formed by Balabac, Palawan, and the Calamian Islands. It is 1 to 1.6 m in length, about 1 m tall and weigh up to 150 kg. It is the largest wild pig in the Philippines. © D. Heuclin

7. Philippine Trogon (Harpactes ardens) Philippine Trogon is found only in the islands of Luzon and its satellites, Samar, Leyte, Bohol and Mindanao. It is very colorful bird, The male has its bill yellow-tipped with a peagreen base, cobalt blue facial skin surrounding a dark brown eye, a black forecrown while the hind crown and nape purplish maroon; back and rump orange rufous, and a deep red belly. It feeds on insects and fruits and nests on holes in dead hollow trees similar to woodpecker nests.

10. Philippine flat-headed frog (Barbourula busuangensis) The Philippine flat-headed frog is also known as Palawan flat-headed frog, Busuanga jungle toad, Busuanga disktongued toad, and Philippine aquatic frog. It is endemic to the Busuanga, Culion, Balabac, and Palawan islands in the Philippines. Its body is flattened dorso-ventrally and its nostrils and eyes are located at the top of its head. This frog is a dark greenish-black in colour with some faint pale green hatching and spotting on the hind limbs.

© M. Brady

8. Palawan peacock-pheasant (Polyplectron napoleonis) The Palawan peacock-pheasant is found in the humid forests of Palawan Island. The bird is also depicted in the official seal of the city of Puerto Princesa. They very are strong fliers. Adult males have an erectile crest and highly iridescent electric blue-violet, metallic green-turquoise dorsal plumage. It breast and ventral regions are dark black. While the female is slightly smaller, its contour plumage is cloudy silt in coloration. The mantle and breast are dark sepia in coloration.

© P. Fidenci

11. Philippine sailfin lizard (Hydrosaurus pustulatus) The Philippine sailfin lizard, crested lizard, sail-fin lizard, sailfin water lizard, soa-soa water lizard or its native name ibid is an oviparous lizard living only in the Philippines. It is an excellent swimmer and has flattened toes that enable it to run across water. It is omnivorous, feeding on fruit, leaves, flowers, insects, and small animals. Males have a larger crest on their back than the females. The males also show a violet color as they grow older. Females are less colorful. The adults may reach up to a meter in length. It lives in tropical wooded habitats near water, like rivers, riverbanks, rice-fields and mangrove.

© K. Hansen

9. Philippine falconet (Microhierax erythrogenys) © MKFI

The Philippine falconet is fairly common on Luzon, Mindanao, Mindoro and Visayas. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest. Seen singly or in pairs, it perches on prominent branches on old dead trees from which it hawks for flying insects. It nests in old woodpecker holes. The upperparts, flanks and thighs are a glossy blue-black, the underparts white and the beak and feet black. The call is a noisy `kek-kek-kek-kek` while diving for prey. It is about 15 cm in length.

12. Luzon peacock swallowtail (Papilio chikae) The Luzon peacock swallowtail is a species of butterfly in the family Papilionidae. It is endemic to the Philippines. It has two subspecies, with P. c. chikae from Luzon and P. c. hermeli from Mindoro. Their forewings are black with pale blue veins, while their hind wings are black with turquoise and red edges.

© T. Vezzo © J. Sartore

ENDANGERED PLANTS & ANIMALS IN THE PHILIPPINES An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and invasive species.

ENDANGERED PHILIPPINE PLANTS/ FLORA 1. Phalaenopsis micholitzii Phalaenopsis micholitzii is a species of plant in the family Orchidaceae. It is endemic to the Zamboanga peninsula in the island of Mindanao, Philippines. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. It is critically endangered & threatened by habitat loss and overcollection.

4. Pseuderia samarana Pseuderia samarana is an endemic species of plant in the family Orchidaceae found in Samar Island and is the first generic record for the genus Pseuderia in the Philippines. The scented flowers, are yellow in color with reddish-purple markings. The species is considered Critically Endangered and is found only in top portion of forest over limestone, and is threatened by land use conversion, timber poaching, and slash-and-burn farming.

© L. Wang © Z. Meneses

2. Ceratocentron fesselii Ceratocentron fesselii is a critically endangered genus of plants in family Orchidaceae. It is found at high altitudes from Nueva Vizcaya and Nueva Ecija to the Cordillera Mountain ranges on Luzon island in the Philippines. It is critically endangered due to habitat degradation and collecting. It is the most endangered orchid species in Southeast Asia.

© Flickr @ Pixitoe

3. Phalaenopsis lindenii Phalaenopsis lindenii is a species of plant in the family Orchidaceae, named after Belgian botanist Jean Jules Linden. It is endemic to the island of Luzon in the Philippines. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. It is endangered and threatened by habitat loss.

© N. Fahmi

5. Paphiopedilum urbanianum Paphiopedilum urbanianum is a species of plant in the family Orchidaceae. It is endemic to Mindoro in the Philippines. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. It is almost extinct in the wild, partly due to habitat loss, but even more so because of unsustainable collecting for the horticultural trade.

© D. Baptista

6. Rafflesia consueloae Rafflesia consueloae is a parasitic plant species of the genus Rafflesia endemic to the island of Luzon in the Philippines. The species is the smallest of all Rafflesia, measuring an average diameter of 9.73 cm when fully expanded. The disk surface of newly opened flowers is described to as distinctly cream-white and usually without processes. It was classified as critically endangered by IUCN.

© E. Fernando

7. Kris Plant (Alocasia sanderiana) Kris plant is a plant in the family Araceae. It is endemic to Misamis Occidental and Bukidnon, in the Philippines. The leaves are evergreen, pelted, V-shaped, deeply lobed, and a glossy deep-green with large silvery white veins. They are about 30–40 cm long and 15–20 cm wide, with red-green undersides. The plant can be up to 2 m tall and large in its native habitat. It is classified as Critically Endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

10. Philippine Teak (Tectona philippinensis) Tectona philippinensis, also called Philippine teak, is a species of plant in the family Lamiaceae, formerly classified in the Verbenaceae. Philippine teak produces a durable timber used locally for construction, being favored as posts for housing etc. Philippine teak is only known from Batangas province, Luzon Island and Illing Island, Mindoro, in the Philippines, where it is confined to limestone forest. It is critically endangered due to logging for its valuable timber.

© TennesseeDave

8. Wade's pitogo (Cycas wadei) Wade’s Pitogo is a species of plants in the family cycads. It is observed only to grow on the island of Culion in the province of Palawan.It is listed as critically endangered by IUCN and in CITES Appendix II.

© H. Banados Jr.

11. Kaladis Narig (Vatica elliptica) Kaladis Narig is a rare species of tree in the family Dipterocarpaceae, native to Mindanao island in the Philippines.The tropical rain forest tree is endemic to Mount Kaladis in Zamboanga del Sur province, on the Zamboanga Peninsula of Mindanao island, in the southern Philippines. It is an IUCN Red List Critically endangered species. Threatened by habitat loss, it is considered to be very close to extinction.

© PeregrinusX

9. Yakal (Shorea astylosa) Shorea astylosa is a species of plant in the family Dipterocarpaceae. It is endemic to the Philippines, which is known as yakal in Filipino language. It is a medium to large tree about 25 to 30 meters tall. Its wood is hard and dark brownish-yellow. It is commonly found in Luzon, particularly Quezon and Camarines; Samar; Negros; and Mindanao, particularly Zamboanga, Agusan, and Davao. Yakal is used for high-grade construction, bridges and wharves, mine timber, and other installations requiring high strength and durability. It is critically endangered as per IUCN.

© P. Pelser

© DENR Zamboanga

12. Gisok-Gisok (Hopea philippinensis) Hopea philippinensis is a species of plant in the family Dipterocarpaceae. It is endemic to the Philippines. A small to medium-sized tree of up to 30 m tall, bole with diameter to 40 cm, frequently crooked and branching low, with a few stilt roots, dammar exudations cream-brown, bark surface smooth, redbrown to fawn mottled, inner bark hard, pale brown, sapwood pale yellow, grading to pale brown heartwood. It is listed as critically endangered by IUCN.

© P. Pelser

ENDANGERED PHILIPPINE ANIMALS/ FAUNA 1. Philippine Eagle (Pithecophaga jefferyi)

4. Walden’s Hornbill (Aceros waldeni)

Also called the monkey-eating eagle, The Philippine eagle is endemic to the Philippines and can be found on four major islands: eastern Luzon, Samar, Leyte, and Mindanao. It is characterized by a brown and white feather pattern and bushy crest. It is considered the largest of the extant eagles in the world in terms of length and wing surface. A full-grown adult can grow to as big as 4 ft tall and can weigh as much as 9 kg. The monkey-eating eagle is the Philippines national bird. The Zoological Society of London listed the Philippine eagle as the top 14 EDGE species, making it the Philippines' most "evolutionary distinct and globally endangered" species. In 2015, about 600 were estimated to be left in the wild.

The Walden’s Hornbill, or Visayan Wrinkled Hornbill is a hornbill bird living in the rainforests of Negros and Panay of the Philippines. It can be recognized by the yellow throat and ocular skin in the male, and the blue throat and ocular skin in the female. This is a critically endangered species. It is presumed extinct on Guimaras and now survives only on Negros and Panay. The current population is estimated at less than 160. Though recent work from the Central Panay Mountain Range suggests 600-700 pairs may remain there.

© Fletcher & Baylis © A. Pascua

1. Tamaraw (Bubalus mindorensis) The Tamaraw or Mindoro Dwarf Buffalo is a small hoofed mammal belonging to the family Bovidae. It is endemic to the island of Mindoro. A fully grown tamaraw stands about 4 ft tall and weighs about 300 kg. The tamaraw is currently considered a critically endangered species. As of April 2019, according to DENR, the latest count at Mounts Iglit-Baco National Park in Occidental Mindoro showed 466 to 494 tamaraws. © D. Heuclin

3. Philippine mouse-deer (Tragulus nigricans) The Philippine Mouse-deer or Balabac Mouse-deer is found mainly in the island of Balabac which is located south of Palawan. Locally called Pilandok, it has a body the size of a rabbit with slender legs and an arched back that is covered by brown fur, with a white base. A dark line runs from each ear past the eye toward the nose. It is endangered due to habitat loss. The mouse-deer's habitat is ...