Visayas' endemic animals

CEBU, Philippines - I learned another big word recently from my mom who mentioned of endangered animals in the forests of Negros Oriental. She described three animal species to be “endemic.”

She said that the Visayan Spotted Deer, an endangered species of animal that thrives in the forest of Mt. Talinis in the towns of Dauin and Valencia, is endemic to the islands in the Visayas. Again, when she mentioned of the critically endangered Visayan Warty Pig, she said it’s endemic. And for the third time, she used “endemic” to describe the Civet Cat.

What does she mean?

I further learned that the word “endemic” comes from the Greek prefix “en” meaning “in”, and from “demos” to mean “district” and “people.”

Biologists, according to her, use this term to “describe a species which is unique to a particular area” or “naturally present in a certain region.”

Therefore, the three animals mentioned are naturally present here in the Visayas.

Moreover, it was learned from animalinfo.org that the Visayan spotted deer carries the scientific name Cervus alfredi. Nice name!

It is a small deer - not much larger than some dogs —being about 80 centimeters or 2.6 feet tall at the shoulder. “It is found in forests, preferring areas where natural disturbances such as fires or landslides opened the forest canopy and allowed young plants to grow in the clearing,” the Webpage read.

The site also mentioned that the Visayan spotted deer formerly roamed throughout the dense tropical forests of the Visayan Islands. A survey in 1985 indicated that small populations were found only in parts of the more remote forested regions of the four largest Visayan Islands – Panay, Negros, Leyte and Samar. A subsequent survey in 1991 found that it survived in small populations only in Panay and Negros.

Hunting pressure as well as habitat loss because of clearing for agriculture and bad practices from legitimate and logging operations resulted in the decline of the Visayan spotted deer which is said to be “one of the world’s rarest mammals.”

On the other hand, the Visayan warty pig (Sus cebifrons) is critically endangered because of the negative attitudes of most local people towards them. This is because they are considered as “pests” (Tsk! Tsk! Tsk!) as they destroy crops of small farms. Because they are regarded as pests and fair game for hunting, there is this lack of conservation measures to protect them. How sad!

Today, this small, forest-dwelling pig thrives in the western mountains of Panay and in scattered fragments of surviving forests in Negros.

Its diet includes cultivated vegetables and fallen fruits, and that it is usually found in groups of from four to five, with groups of up to a dozen seen occasionally.

As for the Civet Cat (Paradoxurus hermaphroditus) of the family Viverridae, I learned that it is related to cats though it’s not actually a cat as it looks like a weasel. It’s been pointed out that it is native to Asia, that’s why it’s also called Asian Palm Civet Cat or toddy cat. Visayans call it “maral” while Tagalogs call it “musang” or “alamid”.

It has a dull gray fur with streaks and spots of black. It is mainly nocturnal or one that is active in the nighttime. The civet cat is also hunted for its fatty or thick yellow secretion found in a double pouch near its genitals. The musky material is used as perfume base.

Aside from being glad to have learned a new word recently, I’m most happy to have heard that these animals – naturally present here in our islands — and existing to this day. They are the real Survivors!