Aired (February 2, 2025): Habang sinusuyod nina Doc Nielsen Donato at team ng Born to be Wild ang kagubatan sa Negros Occidental, tumambad sa kanila ang mga itlog ng Negros Forest Dragon na nasa daanan lang ng bundok! Lumiliit na lang ba talaga ang tirahan ng mga ito sa kagubatan? Alamin 'yan sa video na ito.
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00:00In this forest, there is a mysterious creature that can climb trees quickly to escape the enemy.
00:17Its ability to change color is also very powerful.
00:25Is it really alive?
00:27Yes, it's alive.
00:28Do they have eggs?
00:30Yes.
00:31Why do they have eggs on the road?
00:33Here, you can see the eggs.
00:45It's dark and hard to see the Negros forest dragon.
00:51In fact, I've been trying to document the Negros forest dragon for more than 7 years.
00:58They can see the Negros forest dragon.
01:02You can see that it has a different look. It's reddish.
01:06Its back and the shape of its head is angular.
01:11In 2018, it was the first time that the Negros forest dragon was seen on television.
01:20In this mountain, there is a bigger version of the Negros forest dragon.
01:28That is our park that has a document.
01:32For a long time, it has been taking care of the mountain.
01:35The forest guide, Rommel, is in charge of putting up the boulders.
01:43Last time we went here, we were sweating like this.
01:48But now, finally, it's the season where they have eggs, hatching.
01:55It's hard to see them.
01:59The Negros forest dragon lives in an arboreal tree.
02:04That's why it's not easy to find them.
02:08We've been walking for a long time. We haven't seen anything yet.
02:11But here, Rommel usually sees the Negros forest dragon.
02:18After an hour of walking,
02:23Hey, there's one.
02:26Where?
02:27There, sir.
02:28Ah, okay.
02:29Because it's like it's camouflaging.
02:32Ah, okay.
02:33Because it's like it's camouflaging.
02:36It took me a long time to spot what Rommel was teaching.
02:39But this one, wow, its height.
02:43They're really like that.
02:44They're not tall, as you can see.
02:48But they're only 6 feet tall, sir Martin.
02:50Wow, look at this.
02:52Its color is very colorful.
02:54It's almost as colorful as the tree.
02:58And it's very close.
03:00This is our first adult Negros forest dragon.
03:05But it has some bumps on its back.
03:07Maybe it has eggs.
03:10The crest of a female forest dragon is larger than that of a male.
03:16We got a female gravid Negros forest dragon.
03:20Look at this.
03:21Its limbs are long and thin.
03:25Underneath, its colors are lighter.
03:33Look at those legs.
03:35It's designed to climb, to dig.
03:40Let's take a look at its teeth.
03:42It looks isolated.
03:44These are omnivores.
03:47It eats insects and sometimes vegetation.
03:55This is a Negros forest dragon.
03:57Usually, the spikes are for defense.
04:01Even its tail.
04:03If a predator catches it, it will be cut off.
04:06It's also their defense to escape from their enemies.
04:09But if it's cut off, they have the ability to regenerate their tail, which is called autotomy.
04:17We immediately put the Negros forest dragon back on the tree.
04:21Maybe that's why its color is like that.
04:24It's in the process of changing.
04:26We're so lucky to see an adult Negros forest dragon.
04:30But they say there's a bigger one here, twice its size.
04:34So we're going to let you go.
04:42There.
04:44This is a big one.
04:45A big one.
04:49The Negros forest dragon is a cold-blooded animal.
04:55That's why it's more active in the morning.
04:59It's favorite activity is basking.
05:04It's their way to regulate the temperature of their body.
05:11Later.
05:12Later.
05:13There, Doc. There's a bigger one.
05:16We saw a big Negros forest dragon hanging from a tree.
05:22There.
05:24This is a big one.
05:28These forest dragons don't really grow, but compared to the ones we've seen before,
05:34this is definitely a big one.
05:38It's like a juvenile iguana.
05:42It can grow up to 30 centimeters or the length of a ruler.
05:50Come on, we won't hurt you.
05:52Oh, there.
05:56Oh, my God.
05:57It's so big.
05:59Wow, this is how big it is.
06:03It has slender teeth, but it doesn't smell.
06:12Oh, wow.
06:14That's how strong it is.
06:16Just enough to crunch an insect.
06:19And that is their natural defense.
06:23My adrenaline was so high when I saw the Negros forest dragon.
06:29The Negros endemic lizard is so unique.
06:33And look at that.
06:35These are the pillars of its hemipenis.
06:40So, definitely, this is a male.
06:43These are the characteristics of lizards.
06:47An adult male forest dragon would reach about 13 3⁄4 in length.
06:56They use this as a balance.
06:59So, it's time to let you go.
07:00Sorry to bother you.
07:03Go, go, go.
07:05Twice a year, the Negros forest dragon lays eggs.
07:18And Romel is watching over its eggs.
07:25So, it's really buried in the ground.
07:26Yes, it's buried.
07:28That's how they lay eggs?
07:29Yes.
07:31But why did they lay their eggs in the middle of the road?
07:34Yes, in the middle of the road.
07:35We've seen many times that they lay their eggs in the middle of the road.
07:39Yes, that's it.
07:40It looks like its eggs are elongated.
07:42It looks like it's about to hatch.
07:45Let's take a look.
07:48It's clear.
07:51It means that it has no eggs.
07:53These are the hatched eggs.
07:56It looks like these are also hatched.
08:02This one hasn't hatched yet.
08:04But there's still no smell.
08:07Herpetologist or reptile expert, Dr. Arvin Jesmus, explains.
08:13It is said that the Negros forest dragon lay eggs near the house of this tree.
08:21Habitat decline is still number one.
08:24Most of our lowland forests are almost gone.
08:30The elevation is too high for our intact forests.
08:37It's not hard for the Negros forest dragon to grow in this forest
08:41because many insects live here.
08:47I've been waiting for a long time for the Negros forest dragon to be documented
08:52and at this time, there are males, females, and their eggs that I caught.
09:02This is an indication that the Negros forest dragon can freely reproduce
09:08despite being close to the community.
09:16Go, go, go.
09:23Thank you for watching Born to be Wild.
09:26For more stories about our nature,
09:30subscribe to the JMA Public Affairs YouTube channel.