Rare On the List

Of so many lizard species in the world only this type of lizard was found in the Philippines and become the new top 10 species in the world last year. It is a lizard that do not preys on insects or flesh meat as a food but rather this type of lizard eats fruits instead. I guess you already know this but for the sake of those who haven’t knew it since there is an ongoing abused of natural resources in the Philippines like the current news on “fishkills.”

This type of lizard which can only be found in the Philippines so far the recent discoveries of the new species have recorded is name as the Varanus bitatawa monitor lizard or in local callings of the indigenous inhabitants as Butikaw. It has been depicted to be 6.6 feet in length and weighs 22 pounds and can only be found living on the trees of Sierre Madre forest in the Luzon region of the Philippines. Moreover, this type of monitor lizard is also depicted to have stripes of gold flecks on it scaly body while its legs are blue-black mottled with pale yellow green dots on it; while its tail is marked with alternating segments of color black and green.

This is indeed good news to boost the Philippines’s tourism industry and natural resources because a vegetarian lizard is only found in the Philippines. However, the protection and preservation of this species should be prioritized first by the Philippine government since there is a current extinction of rare species in the Philippines and the exploitation of natural resources like what happen to the fishes in Batangas.

The welfare of the species first be prioritized before thinking how one could gain money or profit or revenue out of the amusement of tourists on this new discovered species.