No Dinosaurs, But We Do Have Megafauna

Have you ever wondered why the Philippines does not have any dinosaurs? Well, the common answer is that there were no Philippine islands during the time of the dinosaurs. The Philippines as we know it has not risen from the waters during their time. And only after the time of the dinosaurs did the Philippines rise from the ocean. One of many attributions that led to the formation of the country is the movement of the tectonic plates. Thus, the Philippines has no dinosaurs.

A caveat, to this reasoning, is that it is possible to find dinosaurs in the islands of Palawan and Mindoro. The argument is, that these islands were once part of mainland China, with rocks older than the dinosaurs themselves. This statement came from Marietta M. de Leon, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Geology at the National Institute of Geological Sciences at the University of the Philippines, Diliman. So, we still have not yet found any dinosaurs. But, it is possible in the future we might find one. In spite of that, let us look at what we do have, megafaunas.

Megafaunas

Numerous scientists have given their descriptions of what animals constitute megafauna. This is why there are still debates on what should be its definition. But, for sake of clarity, I will be using the definition given by Owen-Smith. They describe these creatures as adult herbivores exceeding 1000 kg in body mass. And also, putting the Pleistocene epoch as a period when the megafaunas lived.

Scientists have used these two attributes to define megafauna. Therefore, these animals date back to the Pleistocene epoch. This period goes back to 2.6 million years ago when glaciation occurred in Europe and North America. Here the Philippines has already risen from the ocean and megafaunas are the dominant animals in the world.

Megafaunas in the Philippines

Now after discussing what megafauna are. Let me share some of the fossils of megafaunas found in the Philippines.

Stegodon luzonensis

The first megafauna I would like to meet is Stegodon luzonensis. They were first discovered by von Koenisgwald in 1956. He found a fossil of their right mandible with a broken molar. These animals are similar to the appearance of modern-day elephants. But, the difference between them is the way they eat.

Stegodon luzonensis are grazing animals. Because paleontologists found that their teeth have low-crowned. They believe this form of teeth helps with their feeding. The next difference is their tusks. Stegodon has long and nearly straight tusks which have no space between them. Therefore, the stegodons rest their trunk sideways over one of the tusks.

Nesorhinus philippinensis

The next megafauna that I will introduce is Nesorhinus philippinensis. This creature is a sibling of the modern-day rhinoceros that lived in the Philippines. In addition, scientists found that this animal came from the genus Nesorhinus. Furthermore, experts have hypothesized that this animal may have come from the Asian mainland.

They believed that Nesorhinus philippinensis arrived at Luzon via Taiwan during the Late Miocene or Pleistocene. Then when they dispersed across southeast Asia they became a new species. Their body weight and limb-bone robustness decrease to possibly acclimate to their new environment. Lastly, recent discoveries found fossils of Homo luzonensis with the remains of Nesorhinus philippinensis. Therefore, early humans in the Philippines must have hunted these rhinoceros.

Megalochelys sondaari

Our last megafauna to discuss is the Luzon giant tortoise. The scientific name of this creature is Megalochelys sondaari. In 1971, somebody found the first fossils of this giant reptile at Rizal, Kalinga. Scientists conclude that these giant tortoises could have inhabited Luzon during the Early Pleistocene. Many hypothesized that the Megalochelys sondaari went extinct due to the migratory arrival of the early hominin. According to experts, these early hominins hunted these tortoises to extinction.

National Museum of the Philippines

Now if you want to learn more about these creatures or want to see their fossils. Then you can visit the National Museum of Natural History. It is located at P. Burgos Drive, Rizal Park, Manila. There you can learn more about these megafaunas and other amazing animals that once lived in the Philippines. And your visit to the museum can help fund their effort of preserving history for the next generation.