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Palawan Sun Skink

    Leaves, twigs, and barks that have fallen to the ground make up leaf litter, and it's home to a wide variety of plants and animals. Most of the tiny animals found in the leaf litter are invertebrates. They are important food source for toads, skinks, and other small amphibians and reptiles that rely on the shelter and moisture provided by the leaf litter. One of the many creatures living in the leaf litter habitats of Palawan is the Palawan Sun Skink ( Eutropis sahulinghangganan ), a newly described species of skink endemic to Palawan. The name Eutropis sahulinghangganan derives from the Tagalog "sa huling" or "sa huli ng" (meaning in the last), and "hangganan" (meaning frontier). Palawan Sun Skink     The Palawan Sun Skink inhabits thick coastal forests, mangroves, as well as secondary forests and primary forests up in the mountains. I have seen this skink near the peak of Mount Beaufort at elevations of around 1000 masl, but the population of thi...
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Philippine Emerald Tree Skink

    Of the 12 kinds of skink occurring in Palawan, the Philippine Emerald Tree Skink (Lamprolepis smaragdina philippinica) is one of the most common. This tree-dwelling skink is endemic to the Philippines and is associated with major faunal regions in the Philippines as well as many small and isolated islands throughout the archipelago. In Palawan, they're found anywhere from coconut plantations and mangrove areas on the coast to the hills at the base of the mountains. Philippine Emerald Tree Skink     The Philippine Emerald Tree Skink is a lowland species, and it prefers to live around the edges of the woods with lots of sunlight than the inner parts of the forest with thick canopies. It occurs in heavily disturbed habitats as well as residential and agricultural areas. It is not unusual to see this skink around houses in rural areas and sometimes seen entering human dwellings when hunting for food. In coastal areas and coconut plantations, we often see this skink m...
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Palawan Pangolin

    There's no other creature in the Palawan forest more hunted than the Palawan Pangolin. This critically endangered pangolin species is endemic to Palawan, and due to the exaggeration of its medicinal value, pangolins in Palawan ( Manis culionensis ) are facing extinction caused by illegal trade. Rumors about its medicinal healing power are making pangolin scales in demand on the black market, and its populations have experienced drastic declines caused by poaching. Our Pangolins are already suffering from disappearing lowland habitats due to the conversion of lowland forests to farming, charcoal making, and residential use. The illegal poaching activities are pushing this species deeper toward extinction. Palawan Pangolin     Palawan pangolins mainly live in trees and are excellent climbers. They have powerful limbs and can use their tail when climbing. Its tail is strong enough to support its weight. They spend the daytime hiding or sleeping on a tree and only go...
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Nepenthes mira - The Wonderful Pitcher Plant of Palawan

    Nepenthes mira is another highland pitcher plant from the island of Palawan in the Philippines, it was described by Matthew Jebb and Martin Cheek in 1998. The name "mira" derives from the Latin word "mirus" meaning "wonderful", it has some of the most beautiful colorations of any pitcher plant species in Palawan. This plant is endemic to Palawan where it grows in the mossy forest around the peak area of Cleopatra's Needle at elevations of around 1550 meters above sea level. Nepenthes mira pitcher size in habitat Nepenthes mira      The Nepenthes mira has been categorized as "Vulnerable" (VU) by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The distribution of this plant is not as wide as the Nepenthes deaniana and there may be less than 1000 mature plants confined around the summit area of Mount Cleopatra, but its remote location, lack of threats from habitat destruction and over-collection does not justify giving it anyth...
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Palawan Gecko

     Palawan Gecko or Palawan Narrow-disked Gecko (Gekko palawanensis) is a medium size gecko endemic to Palawan. Their favored habitats include forested areas with large rock piles or outcroppings,  rocky escarpments or walls, tree hallows, and old hollowed logs on the forest floor. They spend a lot of time outside in the evening, and will only retreat to ground hides during the day. Palawan Gecko     It shares the same type of habitat with the Palawan Bent-toed Gecko , but unlike its slightly bigger cousin who prefers ambush hunting, this Gekko is more of a  stalk and pounce hunter. We were lucky to observe them hunting a few times while camping in the mountain at night. It's fun to watch as they slowly stalk moths and other insects attracted to our camp light, then leaping the last several inches to make the snag. Palawan Gecko     This species prefers heavily forested habitats to second growths in urban areas. Lowland habitats are degrad...
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Nepenthes deaniana

        Nepenthes deaniana is another interesting pitcher plant endemic to Palawan. It was first discovered growing in a mossy forest around 1200 meters above sea level on the eastern side of Thumb Peak, an ultramafic mountain peak in Puerto Princesa. Our recent explorations around the region showed that it's also growing at Mount Beaufort, Mount Stavely, and other lesser peaks of Stavely Range and Pulgar Range. Nepenthes deaniana flower Nepenthes deaniana    This Nepenthes deaniana was found and photographed six years ago (August 2016) when trail breaking on the ridge of Stavely Range. It was the first time that we saw this species outside the Thumb Peak area. We saw Nepenthes philippinensis on the way up and were surprised to find big pitchers in the mossy forest. At first, we thought it was Nepenthes mira because it looks similar to the pitchers that we have seen in Cleopatra's Needle, but it turned out to be Nepenthes deaniana. Nepenthes deanian...
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Palawan Mangrove Snake

    The Boiga dendrophila multicincta (Boulenger, 1896) is a large colubrid snake endemic to Palawan. It prefers humid habitats and always seen in woody areas close to bodies of water. This snake primarily occurs in lowland forests, mostly mangrove and riverine habitats, but is also found near mountain streams in the foothills up to old growth forest above 1000 masl. It is commonly seen resting on tree branches overhanging on bodies of water during the day and on the ground hunting for food at night. With its long body, this snake can move swiftly on trees and is also an adept swimmer. It is known to prey on birds and other small arboreal animals, but it seems to spend more time hunting on the ground where food is abundant. Palawan Mangrove Snake     The Palawan Mangrove Snake, also called Palawan Yellow-ringed Cat Snake is mildly venomous. But despite being considered not life-threatening to humans, locals fear this snake for its unpredictable and i...
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Drosera ultramafica

     The Drosera ultramafica is a high montane forest species of sundews that grow on ultramafic soil in Mount Mantalingahan, Mount Victoria and Schom-Carp Peak. Sundews are uncommon here and many hikers, like me, found this plant fascinating. This attractive carnivorous plant has an unusual way to capture preys. The upper surface of the leaves is covered with flexible glandular hairs or trichomes. The tip or the secretory head of each of these hairs are coated with transparent and sticky substance that looks similar to glistening droplet of dews. Crawling and flying insects are trapped upon touching these, and eventually engulfed in a web of sticky hairs as they struggle to escape. The enzymes secreted by the plant dissolve the prey, and its nutrients are absorbed by the plant through the leaf surfaces. This plant can also be found in Malaysia and Indonesia, but the Drosera ultramafica in the Philippines occurs only in Palawan.
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Silky Owl Butterfly

 Silky Owl Butterfly     The Silky Owl butterfly in Palawan ( Taenaris horsfieldii plateni ) is an uncommon forest-dwelling butterfly well known due to the spots on its hind wings similar to a pair of staring eyes. The yellow “eyes” with central black, bluish, and white pupil areas visible when resting are considered part of their defensive colour patterns that are supposed to warn or scare predators. Despite being large (80 mm) compared to most shaded forest-dwelling butterflies in Palawan, this species is surprisingly hard to find. They are secretive and often frequent in the well-shaded understory of the dense forest.  Silky Owl Butterfly     The Silky Owl in the Philippines occurs only in Palawan. It inhabits dense forests at low to medium elevations and seems to be absent in ultramafic forests on mountain ridges and peaks. They are very adept at weaving through the undergrowth when flying in dense vegetation but are mostly reluctant to fly great distan...
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Palawan Water Monitor

      The Palawan Water Monitor, Varanus palawanensis Koch, Gaulke & Böhme 2010, is a species of monitor lizard commonly found in Palawan. This species is semi-aquatic and inhabits a variety of natural habitats from coastal forest, mangroves, rural areas as well as secondary and primary forests. It is commonly found in the lowland, but also present at elevations above 1000 masl although rarely seen. The Palawan Water Monitor population is more copious in the mangroves, wetlands and riparian forest compared to old-growth forest habitats in the mountains. Palawan Water Monitor     This water monitor is carnivorous and not known to feed on fruits in the wild. It is one of the most efficient predators in Palawan and is intelligent and skillful hunter in both land and water. The dark color blends well on the forest floor and it helps when stalking for preys. It is known to use its tail to stun preys, but the water monitor’s p...
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Eyed Cyclops Butterfly

     The Erites argentina ochreana Staudinger 1889 in the Philippines occurs only in Palawan and although widespread in distribution, it is usually not easy to find. This Eyed Cyclops is a deep forest species inhabiting forests with thick canopies and second growths overgrown by palms and Dinochloa bamboos. It prefers shaded, moist and dense forest habitats and cannot be seen flying in grasslands, residential and agricultural areas. Its occurrence ranges from shaded forests near sea level up to the mountain slopes around 500 masl. It is rarely seen in mangrove areas and seems to be absent in old-growth forests and mossy forests high up in the mountains. Eyed Cyclops Butterfly      The Eyed Cyclops is furtive in nature. It likes to sit on a leaf for several minutes without moving and usually very active only on the forest floor in the morning and late afternoon. They usually fly close to the ground, following the openings between trees ...
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Palawan Spitting Cobra

      The Palawan Spitting Cobra (Naja sumatrana miolepis) is a spitting cobra that can be found in Palawan. This species is a medium sized, ground dwelling venomous snake. The scales are smooth and unlike some of the most beautiful cobras in Asia, this species has no impressive hood marks. The head is elliptical and depressed, the eyes are medium in size with round pupils, the snout is rounded and the nostrils are large. Juveniles tend to be of different colour than the adult. They can grow up to around 1.5 meters, but spitting cobras over a meter in length are seldom seen and photographed in Palawan . Palawan Spitting Cobra hood mark       It can be seen resting during the day under heavy thickets of grass, stacks of woods and cavities under rocks or soil. Abandoned mice dens are favorite hideouts in grasslands, farms and rice fields. Although it usually hunts for food at night, this species can be seen moving around on the forest floor at sporadic t...
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Two-lined Coral Snake

     The Two-lined Coral Snake ( Calliophis bilineatus ) is a small, brightly colored venomous snake of the family Elapidae. It is endemic to Palawan and several of its smaller islands adjacent to mainland. This snake occurs on a wide range of elevation from second growth forest in sea level to mossy forests high up in the mountains where it is largely active during the day. I have been doing night spotting and photography for many years, but I have not seen one during nighttime. This snake spend most of its time burrowed underground, under stacks of woods and leaf piles or cavities under rocks. It has a unique defense behavior compared to other venomous snakes in Palawan. It usually flees when threatened, but when cornered, it will flip on its back and play dead. Other technique to fool attackers is by hiding its head while raising and flicking its red tails. The predator usually finds the colorful moving tail an irresistible target and would go for it, le...
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Nepenthes philippinensis

     A Pitcher plant is a carnivorous plant which have a modified prey-trapping leaves that features a deep cavity filled with digestive liquid. There are several endemic tropical pitcher plants growing in Palawan, the most common is the Nepenthes philippinensis .        This species has long, scrambling vines and are often climbers, accessing the canopy of their habitats using tendrils that stretches out and twines around any suitable support. It produces more pitchers and flowers on a single plant compared to all known species of nepenthes in Palawan. There are several color variants, but the lower pitchers are usually reddish and the upper pitchers or traps are green or yellowish.        This lowland species is widespread in Palawan and can be found thriving in soils with low nutrient availability and high concentrations of heavy metals like nickel and chromium. Like all carnivorous plants, this pitcher plant can...
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Schultz’s Pit Viper - A spectacular venomous snake endemic to Palawan

     I have heard it said that Palawan has more snakes in the wild than anywhere else in the country. Maybe true, but there are species of snakes commonly seen in other places that are scarce in Palawan rainforest. We have enough vipers in the wild though.  Trimeresurus schultzei Griffin 1909 commonly known as the Schultz’s Pit Viper is one of the most spectacular snakes that can be found here. This snake is endemic to Palawan and its surrounding small islands. Schultz’s Pit Viper       The Schultz’s Pit Viper is primarily arboreal species. They’re capable, but rarely navigate and hunt on the ground. They’re slow and less camouflaged on the ground and therefore more vulnerable on the forest floor. Using its prehensile tail to hold onto branches , it prefers to perch on trees where its green color acts as camouflage while waiting for prey. It is an ambush hunting snake relying on its camouflage to catch food. The heat-sensing lorea...
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Palawan Water Monitor

      The Palawan Water Monitor, Varanus palawanensis Koch, Gaulke & Böhme 2010, is a species of monitor lizard commonly found in Palawan. This species is semi-aquatic and inhabits a variety of natural habitats from coastal forest, mangroves, rural areas as well as secondary and primary forests. It is commonly found in the lowland, but also present at elevations above 1000 masl although rarely seen. The Palawan Water Monitor population is more copious in the mangroves, wetlands and riparian forest compared to old-growth forest habitats in the mountains. Palawan Water Monitor     This water monitor is carnivorous and not known to feed on fruits in the wild. It is one of the most efficient predators in Palawan and is intelligent and skillful hunter in both land and water. The dark color blends well on the forest floor and it helps when stalking for preys. It is known to use its tail to stun preys, but the water monitor’s p...
Read more

Palawan Mangrove Snake

    The Boiga dendrophila multicincta (Boulenger, 1896) is a large colubrid snake endemic to Palawan. It prefers humid habitats and always seen in woody areas close to bodies of water. This snake primarily occurs in lowland forests, mostly mangrove and riverine habitats, but is also found near mountain streams in the foothills up to old growth forest above 1000 masl. It is commonly seen resting on tree branches overhanging on bodies of water during the day and on the ground hunting for food at night. With its long body, this snake can move swiftly on trees and is also an adept swimmer. It is known to prey on birds and other small arboreal animals, but it seems to spend more time hunting on the ground where food is abundant. Palawan Mangrove Snake     The Palawan Mangrove Snake, also called Palawan Yellow-ringed Cat Snake is mildly venomous. But despite being considered not life-threatening to humans, locals fear this snake for its unpredictable and i...
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