Philippine Mammals - Fossil Mammals

As noted in the last checklist of Philippine mammals (Heaney et al., 1987), very little is known about the fossil mammals of the Philippines. With one exception, all known records are for large mammals including elephants, rhinoceros, deer, pig, and buffalo (Beyer, 1957; Croft et al., 2006; Fox & Peralta, 1974; Groves, 1984, 1985);; their large size contributes to the likelihood of both preservation and discovery. Smaller species are currently almost entirely unknown, although a recent study demonstrated that they were present (e.g., Reis and Garong, 2001). The discovery of new fossil material is certain to add exciting new dimensions to our understanding of the history of the Philippine fauna by providing the means to test many of the current models of speciation, colonization, and extinction and insight into the long-term interactions between humans and the native fauna of the country.

Existing URL: http://archive.fieldmuseum.org/philippine_mammals/introduction.asp