Philippines Animals

Animals:

The Philippines abounds in animal life. Most useful of Philippine animals is the carabao ( water buffalo), commonly known as the farmers best friend. Gentle as a domestic pet and slow as a turtle, it is a reliable work-animal like elephant and is used in tilling ricefields.

There are more than 750 species of birds in the Philippines, more than those in Australia, Japan and other neighboring country in southeast Asia.

The biggest Philippines Bird is the Sharpe's Crane (Crus Antigone sharpei) known as tipol in Luzon and Labong in Visayas. It is a wading bird, with very long legs and neck, and is almost as tall as a man. It's color is pearly gray with broght scarlet plumage on its upper neck.

The world largest eagle also known as the Great Philippine Eagle, Haribon, or Monkey-eating Eagle, is a bird of prey belonging to the family Accipitridae and the world’s largest eagle. It is the only member of the genus Pithecophaga and is genetically believed to be most closely related to the snake eagles. The Philippine Eagle has a dark brown back and white underbelly. Its nape possesses long brown feathers that resemble a crest. The bill and talons are large. This eagle is endemic to the Philippines and can be found on four major islands: eastern Luzon, Samar, Leyte, and Mindanao, with most of the population living on Mindanao. It lives in dipterocarp and mid-montane forests, particularly in steep areas.

Other interesting bird in the Philippines are the kalaw, which the Spanish colonizer called "the clock of the mountains" because it makes a loud call from the mountains at noon daily; the woodthrush, sweetest troubadour of Philippine skies; the katala, which talks and sings like a human being; the tiny Philippine Falconet , said to be the worlds smallest falcon; the Palawan peacock pheasant which struts gracefully like an adagio dancer; and the liambas, a hawk which screams as it soars into the sky.

Four unique animals in the world are found in the Philippines. They are the tamaraw, tarsius mousedeer and zebronkey. Tamaraw looks like a dwarf carabao and is fierce like a tiger. The tarsius is the smallest monkey in the world. The pilandut is also the smallest deer in the world. While zebronkey is a half zebra and half donkey which was bred at manila zoo during 1962.

There are atleast 25000 insect speciesin the Philippines. The largest is the giant moth (attacus atlas) with a one foot wing span.

There are more than 2000 species of fish that can be found in the Philippine waters. According to marine biologist the worlds largest fish is the whale shark (Rhineodon Typus), which is 50 feet or more in length and weighs several tons when fully grown. It was first sighted off the coast of Mariveles, Manila Bay, in 1816 by Filipino fishermen.

The second smallest fish in the world is Pandaca Pygmea (dwarf pygmy). It was discovered in Malabon river which empties in Manila Bay. Pandaca Pygmea is formerly the world smallest fish before the discovery of Paedocypris in Indonesia.