Target Species: Batan flying lizard, Draco jarecki
Location: Happy Valley, Luzon, and Batan and Itbayat Islands, Batanes Islands, Philippines
Director: Jon Stephens
Location: The Philippines are located between Borneo and Taiwan.
The flying lizards of South East Asia are small lizards with expandable lateral scaly wings known as ‘patagia’ which enable them to glide from tree to tree to escape predators. There are nine species of flying lizards in the Philippines and biologist ‘Skip’ Lazell is familiar with all of them. The northern most Philippine species of flying lizard was discovered and described by Skip from Batan in the Batanes Islands, a group of islands also known as the Typhoon Islands because of the high winds which hit them first. Mark and Skip investigate Skip’s theory that the Batan flying lizards are evolving away from flight because it is hazardous for them to glide in the strong winds which could rip their patagia, smash them into trees or take them out to sea. Skip and Mark also plan to visit remote island of Itbayat, even further to the north, to see if any more flightless flying lizards live there, but reaching Itbayat is a challenge in itself.
Mark is also keen to seek out the endemic McGregor’s pitviper found only in Batan’s rainforests. This small, brightly coloured snake is poorly known and only found on this single small island, one of several such Batan endemics.
This male Batan flying lizard (Draco jarecki) may be evolving away from flight.
| BUFONIDAE |
TRUE TOADS |
| Bufo marinus |
Cane toad |
| RANIDAE |
TRUE FROGS |
| Limnonectes macrocephala |
Philippine big-headed frog |
| RHACOPHORIDAE |
FOAM-NEST TREEFROGS |
| Polypedetes leucomystax |
Common Asian treefrog |
| GEKKONIDAE |
GECKOES |
| Cosymbotus platyurus |
Flat-tailed house gecko |
| Gehyra mutilata |
Mutilated dtella |
| Gekko gecko |
Tokay gecko |
| Hemidactylus frenatus |
Common house gecko |
| Hemiphyllodactylus typus typus |
Indo-Pacific tree gecko |
| Lepidodactylus balioburius |
Batan gecko |
| SCINCIDAE |
SKINKS |
| Lamprolepis smaragdina |
Emerald treeskink |
| Mabuya multifasciata |
Many-striped shiny mabouya |
| Mabuya sp. A (Batan) |
(unidentified mabouya) |
| Mabuya sp. B (Batan) |
(unidentified mabouya) |
| Sphenomorphus jagori |
Jagor’s skink |
| Sphenomorphus sp. (Luzon) |
(unidentified wedge skink) |
| Tropidophorus grayi |
Gray’s water skink |
| AGAMIDAE |
DRAGONS |
| Draco jarecki |
Batan flying lizard |
| Draco spilopterus |
Spotted winged flying lizard |
| VARANIDAE |
MONITOR LIZARDS |
| Varanus salvator marmoratus |
Philippine water monitor |
| PYTHONIDAE |
PYTHONS |
| Python reticulatus |
Reticulated python |
| COLUBRIDAE |
TYPICAL SNAKES |
| Boiga cynadon |
Dog-toothed catsnake |
| Lycodon alcalai |
Batan wolfsnake |
| Psammodynastes pulverulentus |
Mock viper |
| VIPERIDAE |
VIPERS & PITVIPERS |
| Trimeresurus mcgregori |
McGregor’s pitviper |
