09/03/2023
πππππππππ!
Itβs a TURTLEy awesome day as we welcome our very own resident ninja turtle. This newest addition to our Tuklas Likas series is an enigmatic species that has remained a mystery for over 80 years! Endemic to the island of Palawan, let us submerge in the elusive life of the Philippine Forest Turtle.
Locally known as ππ’π¬π°π¬π° in the Cuyonon language, it is one of the largest and heaviest geomydid turtles in the Philippines. With varying carapace colors ranging from chestnut brown to pale yellow, it is notable for the distinctive bony plates that run down the center of its shell. It inhabits lowland swamp forests and hides under rocks during the day while it scurries near sandy shores or in rivers and streams during the night. The ππ’π¬π°π¬π° is omnivorous and preys on small fish, crabs, shrimps, and freshwater gastropods. It will also feed on algae, figs, wild fruits, and aquatic plants. Philippine forest turtles help reduce pest species as juveniles feast on mosquitoes that carry malaria and dengue which are major health issues in Palawan. Lead conservationist Sabine Schoppe of the Katala Foundation, Inc. (KFI) describes the species as a link between land and water as their movements bring nutrients to both aquatic and terrestrial environments.
As previously mentioned, the ππ’π¬π°π¬π°βs geographic distribution eluded discovery for decades since it was first scientifically described. U.S. herpetologist Edward Harrison Taylor described the turtle in 1920 based on specimens thought to come from Southern Leyte and was not seen again until 1988 when a single specimen was spotted in a market in Northern Palawan which is more than 1,400 km (870 miles) west of Leyte. It was then assumed that the turtle arrived in Palawan by inter-island trade and was also thought to have been extinct since surveys in their home region (Leyte) yielded no sightings. Herpetologists later concluded in a 2004 paper that the specimens described by Taylor were in fact from Palawan, meaning the forest turtles never appeared in Leyte to begin with.
Difficult to breed in human care, the breeding program carried out by KFI took 10 years before recording its first successful hatchling in 2018. Unfortunately, despite their ecological importance and being included in a blanket protection program, they are often neglected and receive little attention, compared to the more familiar marine turtles as wetland ecosystems are not well known and appreciated in the country. In a sad turn of events, being classified as a protected species made the ππ’π¬π°π¬π° more desirable in the exotic pet trade. High demand in the black market and wildlife laundering remain to be a major and ensuing threat to the species. Currently, the Philippine forest turtle is classified as Critically Endangered by both the IUCN and the Philippine Red List Committee.
References:
PRLC (2019). Philippine Red List of Threatened Wild Fauna Part 1-Vertebrates. DENR Biodiversity Management Bureau. Retrieved February 13, 2023 from https://www.biodiversity.ph/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/PRLC-Book-vertebrates.pdf?fbclid=IwAR2mTAvDGw1FNxgw-exnKyWh6QVA7CQPzcRf2vExTe2mQzetlvx1-EE5XHs
Chavez, L. (June 28, 2021). Philippine forest turtles stand a βgood chanceβ after first wild release. Mongabay. Retrieved February 13, 2023 from https://news.mongabay.com/2021/06/philippine-forest-turtles-stand-a-good-chance-after-first-wild-release/
