News and Blog

hawksbill_turtle

Hawksbill Sea Turtle Critically Endangered Marine Turtle in Tubbataha The Hawksbill Sea Turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata), one of seven marine turtle species in the world and one of five in the Philippines, is thriving in Tubbataha! Named after their beak-like mouth that is used for crushing, biting and tearing off their favorite food – the sponges […]

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giant_clam

Giant Clam Spectacular behemoths of Tubbataha Giant clams (Tridacna gigas), locally known as “taklobo”, are the largest and heaviest living bivalve mollusk in the world.  They grow to about 120 cm across and weigh more than 200 kg.  Due to its size, it has been historically misunderstood.  Legend has it that many deaths were caused […]

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whale_sharks

September 2014 BioSpot Issue Whale Sharks Gentle marine giants of Tubbataha During this year’s diving season, sightings of whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) in Tubbataha have increased for yet unknown reasons. This could be a sign that there is an abundant supply of plankton in Tubbataha, as whale sharks are biological indicators of the presence of […]

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tiger_shark

July 2014 BioSpot issue Tiger Shark Thriving in the warm waters of Tubbataha As its name suggests, tiger sharks (Galeocerdo cuvier) have tiger-like stripes which are more visible on the body of its young. As the juveniles mature though, these vertical black lines fade away becoming barely noticeable in adult tiger sharks. Similar to its […]

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WWF Philippines new ambassadors visit Tubbataha this summer

Tubbataha Management Office staff welcomed WWF-Philippines ambassadors, Piolo Pascual, Luis Manzano, Marc Nelson and Rovilson Fernandez before they set sail for the park last night, 3 April 2014. Rovilson Fernandez and Marc Nelson are return visitors to Tubbataha. Piolo Pascual and Luis Manzano, who are recent additions to the WWF-Philippines ambassador program, are visiting for […]

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protecting_the_cradle_of_marine_life

A new ranger station will be built to strengthen the protection of Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park. Conservation and sustainability are key elements of the design, which has been drawn up by Dylan Melgazo, a consultant for WWF-Philippines, with a team of architects from EASt Studio. Melgazo spent three weeks at the current ranger station in […]

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