Philippine Marine Life

By Taffy, on August 29th, 2009

The Coral Reef

Whilst it can be argued that the Philippine Islands lacks the diversity of species in its Rain Forests, when compared to that of the Asian mainland, this is certainly not the case when it comes to the Coral Reefs that are in great abundance throughout the Philippine Islands. For each island or islet that breaks the surface of the sea around the Philippines, the possibility then exists for coral to get the foot hold needed for reef development.

This process has been taking place for thousands of years around the 7,107 islands that make up the Philippine Archipelago, the result of which is one of the richest & most diverse ecosystems on the planet. Scientists are still discovering new species on and around the Coral Reefs of the Philippines & are only just beginning to realise the true wealth of the Philippines marine culture.

The Open Ocean

Whilst not as diverse as the coral reefs, the Open Ocean around the Philippines is also home to a wide and varied group of predatory fish. The deep sea trenches, in particular, produce some large shoals of squid, which are prey to many other species.

There are scattered sea mounts (pinnacles that have not yet broken the surface), which produce up wellings of nutrient rich waters. These provide rich feeding grounds for plankton, which in turn provide abundant food for large shoals of Mackerel & Anchovies. These are a favourite food source of the larger predator species such as Sail Fish, Blue Marlin, Sharks, Dolphins & Tuna.

When travelling by sea around the Philippines, one can often spot an area of the sea that seems to boil at the surface and is usually produced by a shoal of bait fish being driven to the surface by predator species. The bait fishes defense strategy is to form a huge ball of darting fish that glint and flash in the sunlit waters, whilst this may help protect an individual fish, it does not protect the shoal as a whole, because many predator species actually drive smaller bait fish closer together in a tight ball & then drive them to the surface prior to attack. As the predator fish then attack from below the mass of bait fish, retreat is cut off as they are driven in panic to the surface.

Some Amazing Facts

The Philippine territorial waters measure as much as 1.67 million square kilometers, producing a unique, and diverse marine life. Of the 2,400 fish species found in the Philippines, 65 have good commercial value. Other marine products include corals, pearls, crabs, and seaweeds.

There are 12,000 or so species of seashells found in Philippine waters.

Of the 500 known coral species in the world, 488 are found in the waters of the Philippines.

Of the eight known species of giant clams in the world, seven are found in the Philippine waters.

Both Tridacna gigas, one of the world’s largest shells, and Pisidum, the world’s tiniest shell, can be found under Philippine waters. Tridacna gigas grows as large as one meter in length and weighs 600 pounds while Pisidum is less than 1 millimeter long.

A shell called Glory of the Sea (Connus gloriamaris) is also found in the Philippines and considered as one of the most expensive shells in the world.

The world’s largest pearlwas discovered by a Filipino diver in a giant Tridacna (mollusk) under the Palawan Sea in 1934. Known as the “Pearl of Lao-Tzu“, the gem weighs 14 pounds and measures 9 1/2 inches long and 5 1/2 inches in diameter. As of May 1984, it was valued at US$42 million. It is believed to be 600 years old.

The largest fish in the world, the Whale Shark, locally known as Butanding, regularly swims to the Philippine waters & can often be found off the shores of Donsol.

The world’s shortest and lightest freshwater fish is the dwarf pygmy goby (Pandaka Pygmaea), a colorless and nearly transparent species found in the streams and lakes of Luzon. Males have an average length of 8.7 mm. and weigh 4-5 mg.

Of the eight species of marine turtles worldwide, five are reported to be found in the Philippines: