Here is a butanding fashionista SPOTTED, with a SPLASH of color!
William the Whale Shark is the mascot of AteneoBOx, a student organization that supports biodiversity awareness and animal welfare.
Their Ocean’s Week campaign involves community engagement between Ateneo students, faculty, and Bantay Dagat communities in Calatagan, Batangas. In our collaboration two “whale pun” illustrations were made as printable greeting cards.
The first card features William the Whale Shark hugging (or squeezing) a fellow fishy friend, here portrayed as a remora fish species. Remoras are typically found stuck on the sides of whale sharks in photos, as well as in photos of other large species in the ocean. Remoras are like the ocean’s “hitchhikers”: they enjoy free rides on the large sea animals!
The next illustration features William dressing up, as a fellow friend of the sea (or SEA-tizen) gives William a compliment on what they are wearing. William is just “WHALE-dressed” they exclaim!
AteneoBOx’s Ocean Week focused on activities that raised awareness on mangrove conservation based in Calatagan in Batangas. They worked with the Calatagan Reef Patrollers, and even invited children in fun environment-related activities. Kits that included free coloring pages made here on Philippine Wildlife Art were also given to the children.
Jessie Fronda Delos Reyes, the founder of the Calatagan Reef Patrollers, was also invited to share more about Calatagan and how they’ve been conserving the marine ecosystems there.
Support ateneobox and the Calatagan Reef Patrollers Volunteers for their Ocean’s Week, and beyond!
Join Sawi the Grey-faced buzzard for an event as unique and special as raptor bird migration!
Sanchez Mira, a town located at the northern coast of the island of Luzon in the province of Cagayan, is an important part of the Sawi or Grey-faced Buzzard‘s Flyway Corridor. This year, 2024, Sanchez Mira will be hosting the 4th edition of the International Summit on Grey-faced Buzzard and Migratory Raptors.
This event aims to highlight the critical role of Sanchez Mira and the Philippines in the conservation of the Grey-faced Buzzard and other vulnerable and endangered species of raptors in the region.
The summit includes short lectures and messages, cultural performances, field trips, a souvenir bazaar, communal events, and more!
Is this a new species… of Pokemon? There are 15 species of Rafflesia flowers in the Philippines. The Bulbasaur is a “species” of Pokemon, one of over 1,000 species in the popular Japanese media franchise.
At Philippine Wildlife Art, there is a Bulbasaur for every Philippine Rafflesia species: Rafflesaurs!
So far, 6 of the 15 species found only in the Philippines have been illustrated. Learn more about them below!
Rafflesaur consueloae
Rafflesaur leonardi
Rafflesaur baletei
Rafflesaur lobata
Rafflesaur aurantia
Rafflesaur verrucosa
Last updated November 20, 2024
Rafflesaur consueloae Bulbasaur
This species is Rafflesaur consueloae, which is a result of a Bulbasaur born on Mt. Balukbok in Nueva Ecija: the only place in the world where Rafflesia consueloae flowers have been found (Galindon et al., 2016).
Scientists have long known that tetrastigma vines in the forest are the only hosts of Rafflesia flowers. Rafflesia like R. consueloae grow inside these vines and eventually reveal their blooming flowers. They are “parasitic” or dependent on tetrastigma vines for survival, but they also depend on pollinators like flies to reproduce.
It was recently discovered that Bulbasaurs are a “host Pokemon” for Rafflesia flowers (Philippine Wildlife Art 2023). Not much is known about their symbiotic relationship, because not many scientists are Pokemon experts yet.
Though the Pokemon Vileplume is known to be a rafflesia-inspired species, the Rafflesaur is the only species known to exist in the forests of the Philippines. We must protect our forests, so that we can gather more information about our elusive Philippine Rafflesaurs!
Rafflesia leonardi Bulbasaur
This Rafflesaur is a special one, as it is dedicated to the late Dr. Leonard Co, whom it is named after.
Dr. Co knew so much about plants that a digital library was made in his honor. Today, philippineplants.org features photos from almost half of all Philippine plant species. And there are an estimated 10,000 species native to the country!
On November 15, 2010, he was killed in a supposed crossfire in the forests he lived and worked to protect.
Rafflesaur leonardi is a beautiful Rafflesaur, known for its intelligence, observant behavior, and tendency to pass on knowledge to other Rafflesaurs! It was discovered by Agta community member Sumper Aresta.
Say hello to Rafflesaur baletei! Named after the late mammalogist Danilo Balete, R. baletei likes frolicking on rocky slopes!
It is a small Rafflesaur, similar in size to R. manillana (which you will meet soon), but it prefers to bloom from the roots of Tetrastigma vines. R. manillana is not as shy, blooming higher above the ground for all to see (Barcelona et al 2006).
Rafflesia lobata Bulbasaur
Say hello to Rafflesaur lobata! It is named after the unique-looking rafflesia flower on its back: Rafflesia lobata.
Unlike most Rafflesia flowers, R. lobata has a diaphragm at its center that is lobed, or open with flaps. This rafflesaur likes to think it gives it wings, like its pollinator the fly!
Rafflesia aurantia Bulbasaur
Say hello to Rafflesaur aurantia! It is named after its vibrant orange color, from a latin word for gold, aurum.
Indeed it is like gold, because it was found in fast disappearing lowland dipterocarp forests in northeastern Luzon – in the Sierra Madre. And it is threatened because of another precious item in these mountains: actual gold!
Researchers shared in a 2009 study about R. aurantia that commercial open-pit mining “…Poses the gravest threat for this Rafflesia habitat.”
Rafflesia verrucosa Bulbasaur
Rafflesaur verrucosa is a bit distracted today. One of the smallest of the Rafflesaur’s, R. verrucosa gets very cozy with their pollinator the fly. And just like the actual flower of 𝘙𝘢𝘧𝘧𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘢 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘳𝘶𝘤𝘰𝘴𝘢, their flowers are bisexual!
Another unique quality of this particular Rafflesaur is their warts, which are raised and irregularly shaped, unlike their Rafflesaur cousins. Hence their name’s etymology: verruca is Latin for wart!
Free coloring page and printable in the Gumroad shop!
Which hornbills live on your island, and what is being done to protect them, their habitat, and the natural resources you share with them?
The province of Antique in Panay declared August as Dulungan Month since 2020. Support organizations such as @philincon and @goharibon to help conserve Dulungan and the forests we share with them. Dulungan is known internationally as the Rufous-headed Hornbill (𝘙𝘩𝘢𝘣𝘥𝘰𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘪).
*IUCN Red List data 2023. The Philippine Red List includes the Samar hornbill, bringing the number to 11.
Take a dive with fish of all sizes, while staying dry! All you need is SEA-gnal!
Jessica Labaja swims with fish big and small, and works with fishers to understand the fish we all love and enjoy. She is Executive Director of Large Marine Vertebrates Research Institute Philippines. They are dedicated to the conservation of marine megafauna and their environment in the Philippines and the Southeast Asia region.
Gubataan (gubat + kabataan) is a program that teaches young Filipinos how to be catalysts for change through lessons in nature. Organized by Ashoka Philippines and Ecology of Changemaking.
Join the session online, under or over the water, Thursday, Dec 21, 5pm to 6pm PH time. Register via Zoom: http://bit.ly/GBonfire6
He also worked with fellow researcher Walter Brown on co-authoring more than 70 publications including those about Philippine amphibians and reptiles. The Brown & Alcala’s Sierra Madre Frog was named after them: Sanguirana tipanan, where the word tipanan refers to their partnership. Several reptile species have also been named after Dr. Alcala such as the recently discovered Alcala’s Reed Snake from Mindoro, Alcala’s Wolf Snake from Batanes, and Alcala’s Triangle-spotted Snake from Romblon.
Dr. Alcala has shown us the importance of our environment, from ridge to reef, and how working together is the best way to conserve it!
Women’s organizations located in the Southern Sierra Madre are now reaching out to more customers to purchase their “biodiversity-friendly” products.
Kamias prunes and catmon sinigang powder can be purchased from Emma Ayapana. She manages KUMARE, an organization that was founded in the 90’s after a typhoon hit their homes in Real, Quezon. It stands for Kilos Unlad ng Mamamayan ng Real – “Action to develop citizens of Real.” Kumare is also a term for fellow woman.
Cristy Luna, made the eco-bag below with the help of her family; it features a rafflesia flower. She is president of the KALIPI Infanta federation, which stands for Kalipunan ng Liping PIlipina – “Association of united Filipino women.” Kalipi is also a term for fellow group or ancestors.
KUMARE and the KALIPI federations of Real and Infanta work with the Women Go project of the Haribon Foundtion to insure that forest management in their protected area involves women leadership.
Leonard Co was renowned as a “human library” of Philippine plants and trees. Unfortunately not many people knew about him before, and even after his death.
One of his legacies is a “digital library” of Philippine flora at Philippineplants.org, which today has over 72,000 photos of Philippine trees and plants. The site features photos of almost half of all plant species in the country (there are 10,000 species in the Philippines).
Rafflesia leonardi Barcelona & Pelser (2008), a beautiful parasitic plant discovered in Luzon’s Sierra Madre, was named in his honor. The plant is illustrated above with Leonard Co.
Learn more about him, and how the Philippines’ lost one of its most valuable researchers in the movement to conserve our forests in the documentary “Walang hanggang buhay ni Leonard Co.”
One way to ensure fish supply, while protecting Filipinos at the coast, is to establish more marine protected areas or MPAs. And MPAs are most effective if they are built and maintained by local communities.
A marine protected area is a place that is taken care of by people because it is home to different kinds of fish and other marine species, many of them a source of food or income.
The Haribon Foundation says that an MPA is “an identified portion of land and water set aside by reason of their unique physical and biological significance, managed to enhance biological diversity and protected against destructive human exploitation.”
Another definition can be garnered from the IUCN as noted by RB Cabral et al: an MPA is a “clearly defined geographical spaces, recognised, dedicated and managed, through legal or other effective means, to achieve the long-term conservation of nature with associated ecosystem services and cultural values.”
Cabral adds that in the Philippines, MPAs can be categorized into two governance levels: nationally established MPAs and locally established MPAs.
MPAs in general then take four forms:
Marine sanctuary or no-take marine reserve, where all forms of extractive activities are prohibited;
Marine reserve, where extractive and non-extractive activities are regulated;
Marine parks, where uses are designated into zones;
Protected landscape and seascape, where protection may include non-marine resources (Miclat and Ingles 2004, White et al. 2014).
The most common objectives for MPA establishment are biodiversity conservation, fisheries sustainability, and tourism and recreation, among others.
Del Carmen, Siargao’s mangroves are its protectors.
Mangroves are natural barriers against typhoons! Take for example Siargao when Typhoon Odette hit the country in December of 2021.
Siargao was among the first hit by Typhoon Odette, but damage to a community in Del Carmen, Siargao was minimized thanks to… mangroves!
4,000 hectares of coastline is lined with these natural barriers or “sentinels of the sea.” It is part of the Siargao Islands Protected Landscapes and Seascapes or SIPLAS. Eight species of seagrass, representing half of all species found in the Philippines (and Southeast Asia), and 59 species of seaweeds can be found in SIPLAS.
Barangay Bacjao on the left and Barangay Parina on the right, after Typhoon Yolanda.
In the town of Giporlos, Eastern Samar lies a “tale of two barangays.” Typhoon Yolanda brought storm surges to neighboring Barangays Bacjao and Parina. Despite being named after the local name for mangrove, Brgy. Bacjao sufferred more damage than Brgy. Parina which sufferred less. This was because only Parina had a crucial 9 hectares of mangroves to protect them.
Mangroves are not only protective natural barriers against storm surge and typhoons, they are home to many species including various kinds of fish. They are also home to our own endemic Philippine Duck, as well as mangrove or mud crabs, aka Alimango!
Next time you see a mangrove, be thankful and inquire with the local LGU if you can take a boat tour!
