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
The Palawan Litter Frog is one of the many species deeply affected by the changing environment in Palawan. You would be surprised to know how small the percentage of locals, even mountaineers or hikers who have seen or are familiar with this species nowadays. It was not like that in the old days. This species is used to be one of the most common amphibians that can be seen in our forest floor near clear flowing streams and rivers. It used to be abundant around Estrella Falls, Tagbanato, upper Taritien and Malatagao River. These places are close to where I grew up, and are places I enjoyed hiking in my early teens. Palawan Litter Frog in Sultan Range. The major threat to this species is deforestation mainly due to small and large-scale agriculture and urban development. Around where I live, deforestation within this species range is primarily due to agriculture. Over the years, a lot of primary forests were cleared to support the growing population of our town and Narr