Critically EndangeredGiant Clam
Tridacna gigas
Asia
The Philippines is an archipelago of more than seven thousand islands that were never continuously joined to the continent, which has produced an extraordinary degree of endemism: most of its land mammals and a huge share of its birds and reptiles exist nowhere else. Each island or group of islands works as an independent evolutionary experiment. The country is part of the Coral Triangle and its waters, among them the Tubbataha atoll, rank among the richest on the planet in marine species. Palawan, with its underground river and its forests, keeps fauna of Bornean affinity, while Mindanao and Luzon hold mountain forests with unique species. It is at once one of the richest and one of the most threatened biodiversity hotspots in the world.
National animal: The carabao is the national animal and the Philippine eagle the national bird
The Philippine eagle is one of the largest and most powerful raptors in the world, with a two-metre wingspan and a crest of feathers it raises like a mane. Each pair needs thousands of hectares of forest and raises a single chick every two years, which makes its recovery painfully slow. It is the country's national bird, and killing one is punishable by years in prison.
The tamaraw, a dwarf buffalo found only on Mindoro, was reduced to little more than a hundred animals and is recovering very slowly. Deforestation cut the country's forest cover from more than two thirds to a minimal fraction during the twentieth century.
Tubbataha between March and June for reefs and sharks. Bohol year-round for tarsiers in sanctuaries. The Sierra Madre and Mindanao for the Philippine eagle with local guides.
259 species found
Based on what we already know about Philippines.
