The Philippines is one of the largest archipelagic countries in Southeast Asia. The Philippines has 7,107 islands with a total area of ​​300,000 km².

Like Indonesia, which has a diversity of distinctive animals that vary greatly across various regions and islands, the Philippines also has its own unique variety of animals.

The following are some typical Filipino animals that we are interested in knowing:

1. Philippine Eagle (Pithecophaga jefferyi)

The Philippine eagle can live up to 60 years. The Philippine eagle is one of the largest and strongest carnivorous birds in the world and is endemic to the country, measuring 1 meter long and weighing between 5 and 7 kilograms.

By the local people, this animal is also known as the monkey-eating eagle, this is because in the past it was thought that this eagle only ate monkeys, but in reality the animals that become its prey are adapted to the island they inhabit. like the civet. civets, small mammals, birds, snakes, lemurs fly monkeys.

This animal is the national bird of the Philippines that lives in the four main islands of the Philippines, namely Luzon, Samar, Leyte, and Mindanao. The Philippine eagle is an animal that is listed as endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list due to hunting and deforestation.

2. Tamarao (Bubalus mindorensis)

This unique buffalo-like animal is an endemic species to the island of Mindoro, Philippines. This animal has a slightly smaller body than an ordinary buffalo with horns resembling the letter V.

Tamaraw is included in the list of endangered and protected animals, by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), this is due to the presence of settlements, poaching plus one that inhibits the growth of its habitat is because a Tamaraw female can only give birth to one child every after 300 days of pregnancy. On the island of Mindoro Tamaraw has no natural predators.

Tamaraw adults are included in the type of animal that lives alone or also called a solitary animal, it has the characteristics of dark brown or black body hair, and there is no color difference between males and females. While the young Tamaraw has a reddish brown body color with dark brown legs and a black back line.

3. Philippine rat deer (Tragulus nigricans)

The Philippine rat deer is an animal that resembles a deer or stag that has a very small body size compared to normal deer in general, with a height of only 18 cm and a length of 40 cm.

This cute and unique animal is found on the island of Balabac, and it is a nocturnal and solitary animal. The Philippine rat deer lives in the primary and secondary forests of Balabac Island, this is related to the availability of dense forest vegetation so that it can protect this species during the day. This species is also occasionally seen on beaches.

4. Philippine Tarsier (Tarsius syrichta)

The Philippine tarsier is the second smallest primate in the world that lives on the island of Bohol, with an approximate length of 15 cm and a weight of 150 grams. These cute little animals are animals that are active at night or also called nocturnal animals, and they are insectivorous animals but they also eat lizards, small birds and frogs.

These animals need a special habitat, namely forests with dense vegetation and abundant insects for food. The Philippine tarsier is a species that is included in the IUCN list of endangered animals and is specially protected by the Philippine government.

5. Philippine flying lemur (Cynocephalus volans)

The Philippine flying lemur is endemic to the islands of Mindanao, Basilan, Samar, Leyte, and Bohol. These animals are arboreal animals (animals that spend part of their life in trees/groves) in the tropical rainforest, sometimes they are also often found in rubber and coconut plantations.

During the day, these animals hide in holes in the trees. The Philippine flying lemur’s favorite foods are leaves, shoots, and flowers. The skin membrane found on the sides of the body is used for buoyancy, moving from tree to tree.

This animal is also known as colugo and consists of only two species in the world, namely Sundanese colugo who live in Indonesia and colugo philippines

6. Philippine Crocodile (Crocodylus mindorensis)

This large reptilian animal is also known as the mindoro crocodile and is an endemic species to the Philippines. And according to recent observations, this animal is limited only to the northern part of the island of Luzon and in the southwestern part of the Mindanao archipelago.

The crocodile, which is the most dangerous animal in Asia, lives in fresh water (rivers and swamps), is diurnal (active during the day), and is listed as an endangered species by the IUCN, due to exploitation and effects of various unsuitable fishing methods, such as fishing methods that use dynamite. The maximum body size of the Philippine crocodile can reach 3 meters.