Basilan - Flora and Fauna

Flora and Fauna

The island chain is one of two partial land bridges to Borneo and is an important migration route for birds. Among the species of flora and fauna found in Basilan are:

Mammals
  • The Basilan Flying Squirrel (Petinomys crinitus), a species of rodent in the Sciuridae family. It is endemic to the Philippines, but found extensively in Basilan.
  • The Philippine tarsier (Tarsius syrichta), an endangered tarsier species endemic to the Philippines.
Amphibians
  • The Basilan Island Caecilian (Ichthyophis glandulosus), a species of amphibian in the Ichthyophiidae family. It is endemic to the Philippines.
Birds
  • The Yellow-wattled Bulbul (Pycnonotus urostictus), found and documented in the Philippines, specifically Isabela, Basilan, on November 15, 1887, by Moseley, E. L. Published by Steere, J. B. in a list of the birds and mammals collected by the Steere expedition to the Philippines.
  • The Basilan Tarictic Hornbill (Penelopides panini basilanicus), a variant of Penelopides affinis basilanicus (Tweeddale, 1877). Also published by Steere, J. B., in a list of the birds and mammals collected by the Steere expedition to the Philippines.
  • The Everett's White-eye basilanicus (Zosterops everetti basilanicus), with distribution throughout the Philippines, but more extensively in Basilan, Dinagat, Mindanao, Siargao, and Camiguin. (Everett's White-eye, Tweeddale, 1878)
Plants
  • The Dipterocarpus basilanicus tree, lofty, emergent, with grayish brown to orange, flaky, prominently lenticellate bark and aromatic oily white resin, with stout buttresses.

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