Aired (February 11, 2024): Let's join Docs Ferds Recio and Doc Nielsen Donato as they venture into the fascinating world of a dragon-like lizard species that can only be found in the Philippines. Watch this video.
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00:00 [MUSIC]
00:07 Philippine sailfin lizards or ibid are early in the morning.
00:11 [MUSIC]
00:16 This behavior is called basking.
00:19 They do this to regulate the temperature.
00:23 [MUSIC]
00:25 When they are in a good mood, they show their teeth.
00:34 [MUSIC]
00:39 They are called sailfin lizards because of their sharp-shaped tails.
00:45 [MUSIC]
00:47 They use this for swimming and walking in the water.
00:50 [MUSIC]
00:57 Their food is first sent to their feeding site.
01:02 [MUSIC]
01:07 The fish are placed in their respective places.
01:10 [MUSIC]
01:12 They will swallow anything they want.
01:15 [MUSIC]
01:24 But they need to hurry because the king is coming.
01:31 [MUSIC]
01:33 The male lizard is far from the king and he can't stop his feet from moving.
01:38 [MUSIC]
01:41 He is signaling the territory.
01:45 [MUSIC]
01:47 But the females are not listening.
01:51 [MUSIC]
01:52 Other lizards are not compatible with him so they will just sit aside.
01:58 [MUSIC]
02:07 And when it's time to feed...
02:09 [MUSIC]
02:11 Time to eat the kingfish.
02:14 [MUSIC]
02:17 The small fish have been waiting for a long time on the side.
02:21 When they feel that the kingfish are gone, they will start feeding.
02:28 [MUSIC]
02:34 They feed on vegetables, fruits, and fish fillets.
02:43 [MUSIC]
02:44 The females are omnivores or eat meat and plants.
02:49 This is what they find.
02:51 Father Bob is witnessing this every day.
02:55 Because behind his back, the females are willing to stay.
03:00 [MUSIC]
03:02 This is also near their possible habitat for irrigation.
03:06 [MUSIC]
03:09 We're back here in Mindanao.
03:11 We're going to visit a citizen here, Father Bob.
03:16 He takes care of the sailfin lizards here.
03:21 We're going to observe the sailfin.
03:25 But even though Father Bob feeds the fish, their wild instincts remain.
03:32 I also noticed that the fish here are very shy to people.
03:37 What are the behaviors that you saw that made you think, "Oh, that's how they are?"
03:41 The males fight for their territory.
03:48 [MUSIC]
03:57 Sir, this place is very different.
04:00 You have neighbors here who are just living.
04:06 And you take care of them.
04:12 Yes, because a few years ago, I noticed that they live near the irrigation canal.
04:26 Sometimes, they go to our solar to look for food.
04:33 The trees are tall.
04:36 If there's a tree that's withered, they eat it.
04:41 And because Father Bob treats the fish as neighbors, he also feeds them.
04:49 I noticed that they don't go out to look for food.
04:56 So I thought I'd feed them.
05:00 Like vegetables, fruits.
05:04 I also feed them fish and chicken.
05:13 Do you buy those?
05:15 Yes, I do.
05:17 How long have you been doing this?
05:19 Five years, I think.
05:21 [MUSIC]
05:23 The Philippine sailfin lizards are known as territorial animals.
05:28 That's why here in their home in Davao, they can't avoid the heat.
05:34 [MUSIC]
05:40 But aside from the lizards, there's a bigger lizard that lives in the basement of Father Bob's house.
05:50 Lizards also scare them.
05:54 They are halos.
05:58 [MUSIC]
06:03 A type of endemic lizard in Mindanao.
06:07 [MUSIC]
06:10 Like sailfin lizards, the color is green.
06:14 Halos have a bright yellow color on their head and body.
06:20 [MUSIC]
06:24 While eating the lizards, a halo is feeding them.
06:31 Later, like the lizards, halos can also walk on water.
06:39 [MUSIC]
06:49 Halos are also found near feeding sites.
06:54 And when they feel their presence, the lizards will start to move.
07:01 [MUSIC]
07:05 This type of competition in food and territory is normal for halos and lizards.
07:11 [MUSIC]
07:14 But their hunting and defensive skills are not lacking to survive in the wild.
07:22 Halos are the yellow-headed monitor lizards.
07:28 According to Father Bob, there are hunting rules for these reptiles.
07:35 What is the purpose of their visit here? Not to hunt, but to take pictures?
07:43 There are many.
07:45 They are taking pictures and videos.
07:50 That's why Father Bob put a call for people who are passing by.
07:56 What does that mean?
07:58 It means not to touch the lizards, halos, and halos.
08:05 When did you put that call?
08:07 Three years ago.
08:08 Three years ago.
08:09 It seems like people are listening to you.
08:15 Yes, the neighbors and those who live nearby,
08:24 and those who are passing by,
08:28 they are telling the lizards not to touch them.
08:33 They are also fighting.
08:35 Lizards control the abundance of pests in the wild.
08:40 While halos, scavengers, or eating rotten organisms
08:48 are doing their best to stop the spread of diseases.
08:54 But even though they have a huge responsibility in the wild,
08:58 they are still victims of illegal hunting by humans.
09:03 But here in Father Bob's area,
09:09 there is coexistence between humans and wildlife.
09:14 What is your wish to the people living around you?
09:21 They should be protected.
09:24 They should be protected by humans.
09:26 They cannot live if they are alone.
09:30 They are living in the mountains,
09:32 because they can go to almost every forest.
09:40 The undead leatherback was found in the swamp on February 6.
09:46 It is the largest species of sea turtle.
09:49 According to the resident,
09:51 they have already smelled it.
09:54 The leatherback did not die instantly.
09:57 The size of the leatherback is estimated to be six feet.
10:01 Leatherbacks are considered vulnerable
10:04 because of the human activity such as catching their eggs
10:10 and throwing garbage or plastic in the sea.
10:14 Some leatherbacks are free and live close to humans.
10:31 You can see the leatherbacks resting in their places,
10:35 in plants,
10:40 in pans,
10:42 and even in rocks.
10:45 They do not go far from humans.
10:51 Because these leatherbacks are inside the zoo.
11:00 [Music]
11:02 The Philippine Surfing Lizard is famous for its quick escape.
11:11 But in this place,
11:20 they are calm and friendly to humans.
11:27 Unlike other animals in the zoo where the leatherbacks are trapped,
11:31 the leatherbacks are careful to avoid the heads of some males.
11:38 Later, it walks to get closer to the female leatherback.
11:46 The male leatherback continues to avoid the female leatherback.
11:55 This behavior is called courting or "panunuyo".
11:59 Later, the male leatherback walks away from the female leatherback.
12:09 Before the zoo was built,
12:15 the leatherbacks were first to be found in the area.
12:18 Now,
12:21 the leatherbacks are living in the swamp.
12:24 What does this area look like? Is it a swampy area?
12:28 Yes, sir.
12:29 This is what the swimming pool is doing.
12:32 The whole area is a swamp.
12:35 The soil was dug to make it stable.
12:38 This used to be a forest.
12:40 Because the area is constantly being developed for tourists,
12:46 the leatherbacks are used to living with humans.
12:51 We noticed that humans are not afraid of leatherbacks.
12:56 The same is true with the leatherbacks.
12:58 They are not afraid of humans.
13:00 When did this start?
13:01 They don't move.
13:03 They just run.
13:04 It's like humans are in a cage.
13:06 There are instances where the leatherbacks are afraid of humans
13:09 because they don't know that they are being cared for.
13:12 [music]
13:16 They are everywhere.
13:17 They lay their eggs in the open areas.
13:23 Are there instances where the leatherbacks and humans are together?
13:27 No.
13:28 If they are holding each other intentionally,
13:31 they will bite each other.
13:32 But if they are allowed to be together,
13:34 there will be no problem.
13:35 Because they are the ones who are avoiding humans.
13:38 We have not yet been reported of major cases of being bitten.
13:43 Because of the good relationship between humans and leatherbacks in this area,
13:47 they allow tourists to feed the leatherbacks.
13:55 We saw that other leatherbacks are being fed by humans.
14:00 When did this start?
14:01 For us, it's not confusing.
14:03 Because the leatherbacks have a choice in what they eat.
14:09 If they don't want to give their food, they won't eat it.
14:14 Do you worry that someone will feed the leatherbacks?
14:20 We worry because animals are also our loved ones.
14:24 Leatherbacks are omnivores,
14:28 or animals that eat meat or plants.
14:33 Because of their "Fit for Survival" features,
14:36 like having slender teeth,
14:42 long tails that they use to escape,
14:47 the leatherbacks are considered to be the least concerned.
14:57 These are the selfie lizards that we see here.
14:59 We just need to be careful because their tails can be removed
15:03 as a form of escape.
15:08 If they need to, look at the tail,
15:11 maybe it's already cut,
15:13 but it will grow back.
15:14 These are the characteristic features of this species.
15:18 The male, like this one, has a bigger self-fin.
15:22 The females don't have that.
15:24 They are very robust and relaxed compared to other selfies
15:28 that we took in other places in the Philippines.
15:30 They have a beautiful body,
15:32 their body is very robust.
15:37 They are excellent swimmers,
15:38 that's why they use their tails for swimming.
15:42 And they are also very good climbers.
15:45 You can see them on the top of the tree.
15:47 These claws, like this one,
15:49 have slender nails.
15:53 They use it for climbing.
15:55 And their tails are mostly for swimming.
15:59 For it to breathe while it's swimming,
16:02 and their tails are the only thing they use to propel it to go to places.
16:07 Look at the facial features,
16:09 its eyes are blue.
16:11 There are also cases where big eagles eat new-born eagles.
16:18 Their only predators here are carnivorous animals like cats or dogs
16:25 that might eat the young.
16:28 Selfie lizards also have cannibalistic behavior.
16:33 In the absence of available food,
16:36 they can eat small lizards.
16:42 I also tried to test the female lizard.
16:47 It has a lot of teeth, it's small.
16:49 Look at that.
16:51 It's eating is very aggressive.
16:53 Look at the oral cavity.
16:55 I just want to see it up close.
16:57 Its tongue is also very sticky.
16:59 It can forage, it can tear flesh,
17:02 and it can bite.
17:05 It moves calmly,
17:13 but do not attempt to catch them because you can get bitten.
17:16 You can get hurt because of its slender nails.
17:20 It can also bite your tail
17:22 if in case you need to defend yourself.
17:26 There you go.
17:33 Nice. Look at the head.
17:35 It's so fast.
17:39 Its stance is like an attack mode.
17:44 Ready to escape anytime.
17:46 You can see how fast it moves.
17:49 When I hold it, it's very calm.
17:52 When we touch it, it really runs away.
17:56 If humans have made lizards friendly,
18:01 we should treat them like humans.
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18:29 [Music]