Being an archipelago with more than 7000 islands as part of it, the variety of wildlife seen in the Philippines is breathtaking.

Let us look at three of the more interesting and unique animals found in the country:

Binturong

It is also known as the Palawan Bearcat and is a mammal which comes under the conservation category of vulnerable. It is active during the day and night, and is long and heavy with short stout legs and thick black coarse hair. It is an omnivore and hangs from trees using its tail, and has the face of a cat. This mammal has the queer distinction of smelling like cooked popcorn! Do check out for yourself when you visit Palawan!

Tarsier

A tarsier is a small leaping carnivorous primate and quite elusive in the wild. It is a nocturnal creature with the distinction of having disproportionately huge eyes which do not rotate inside their sockets. Hence, to see well, it uses its capacity to rotate the head by 180 degrees. Its body measures just about 9 to 16 cm and it has a tail twice the length making the animal quite quaint in appearance. You could see a Tarsier in the Philippines Tarsier sanctuary in Bohol.

Tamaraw

It is also known as a Mindoro Dwarf Buffalo. It is the only bovine endemic to the Philippines and is found in the island of Mindoro. The conservation status of the Tamaraw is critically endangered. It is a heavy set animal and has V-shaped short horns. It is largely a solitary animal and rarely seen in herds. This ‘lone ranger’ can be spotted in some of the sanctuaries while visiting Mindoro.

Log into https://www.landsairtours.com/ to check out some interesting tours to the Philippines and observe these unique animals in their natural habitat!