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The MSU Wild

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Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from The MSU Wild, Wildlife sanctuary, Mindanao State University Main Campus, Marawi City.

Founded in 2023 with passion and pursuit of knowledge and discovery, The MSU Wild is a digital platform showcasing the biodiversity inside the Mindanao State University Main Campus - Marawi.

19/03/2026

Ever wondered who discovers new species?

This Taxonomist Appreciation Day, we celebrate MSU-Marawi’s very own species detectives!

Mark Gregory Q. Rule, a plant taxonomist and a faculty member from CFES, have co-discovered two new species of 𝘉𝘦𝘨𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘢 (𝘉. 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘶𝘳𝘶𝘺𝘰𝘵 & 𝘉. 𝘣𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘰𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘪) and a new species of 𝘚𝘺𝘻𝘺𝘨𝘪𝘶𝘮 (𝘚. 𝘤𝘳𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘶𝘮). He also contributed to updating the genus 𝘊𝘺𝘯𝘦 with the rediscovery of 𝘊. 𝘲𝘶𝘢𝘥𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘶𝘭𝘢 and the description of a new species, 𝘊. 𝘣𝘢𝘳𝘤𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘦.

Meanwhile, Jamael C. Abato, a nemertean taxonomist and a faculty member from CNSM, is uncovering the secrets of the ocean with his team, documenting the uncharismatic yet ecologically important ribbon worms in the Philippines, including the first record of 𝘉𝘢𝘴𝘦𝘰𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘶𝘴 𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘯𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘴 in Mindanao and the description of 𝘚𝘢𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘩𝘶𝘳𝘢 𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘢𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘴, a new species from Surigao del Sur.

Though their work focuses on different worlds—identifying, classifying, and naming plants and ribbon worms—they share the same mission: to expand our understanding of life on Earth. In this commemoration, we hope their discoveries inspire students and the public to explore, discover, and contribute to science.

04/03/2026

Yesterday, March 3, was the World Wildlife Day with the theme: "𝗠𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗔𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗻𝘁𝘀: 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵, 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗟𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗱𝘀."

This year's theme highlights the important role of wild plants in sustaining and shaping our diverse cultures and traditions. In celebration of this international day, we do not only commemorate the beauty of these plants, but we also remind ourselves to do our best in knowing them and learning how to help in protecting and conserving them from growing risks like habitat destruction, overharvesting, and climate change.

Featured in this post are some native plants found inside our campus that are known to provide health and livelihood benefits.

27/02/2026

Decades of steadfast growth, leading to one magnificent farewell.

As you walk down the covered path to the College of Social Sciences and Humanities (CSSH), you’ll notice those three amazing inflorescences right beside the English Language Center. They come from a rosette of succulent leaves and are hard to miss! These agave plants (𝘈𝘨𝘢𝘷𝘦 sp.), with their thorny leaves, are often mistaken for aloes, but they’re not related.

Agave plants are part of the Asparagaceae family, which also includes dracaenas and asparagus. These are slow-growing, perennial succulents that can live for 10 to 30 years, and that's why some species of 𝘈𝘨𝘢𝘷𝘦 are called "century plants." They’re native to the dry and semi-dry areas of the Americas, like Mexico and the Caribbean. Some agave species are used to make things like liquor and fibers, while others are grown for decoration and landscaping.

One cool thing about these plants is called monocarpy. That means each individual only blooms and makes fruit once before it dies. They grow flowers on tall stalks that can reach really high, either branching out or standing alone. The flowers are full of nectar, which attracts pollinators like bees, butterflies, or bats, depending on the type of plant.

05/02/2026

Guess who stayed despite the suspension of classes?

While walking through the hallways of the Riconalla Building of CNSM, we encountered this large lizard stuck inside a cubicle of one of the comfort rooms. Upon closer inspection, it was clearly much bigger than a common house lizard. It turned out to be a juvenile water monitor lizard (likely 𝘝𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘶𝘴 𝘤𝘶𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘪).

With only a piece of cloth available, the bayawak was briefly and carefully handled to minimize stress and was safely relocated and released at the back of the building, where vegetation is present.

Before releasing it, we couldn’t help but notice one particularly striking feature. Notice its dark-colored tongue? Water monitor lizards possess a forked tongue with a flesh-colored base and a bluish-grey tip. Similar to snakes, they use this tongue to “taste” their environment through tongue-flicking. The tongue acts as a physical sampler, collecting chemical particles from the environment and transferring them to the Jacobson’s (vomeronasal) organ located on the roof of their mouth. This allows them to detect prey, potential threats, and even pheromones during mating.

Despite this monitor lizard’s preference for moist and water-associated environments, we hope everyone stays dry, safe, and comfortable at home on this rainy day.

29/01/2026

You might have gone too early to your 7:00 AM or 8:30 AM class in the College of Social Sciences and Humanities (CSSH) during this week, but have you seen this pink flowering tree blooming with almost no leaves at the front of the Social Sciences building and the Language Center?

This tree (𝘗𝘭𝘶𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘢 𝘳𝘶𝘣𝘳𝘢), known as Kalachuchi or Kalatsutsi in the Philippines, is a popular garden and park plant that is widely cultivated globally in tropical and subtropical regions for its highly fragrant flowers. The fragrant kalachuchi flowers can be recognized for their colors ranging from white to pink with yellow at the center of each flower. Kalachuchi is also known for being a deciduous tree as it loses its leaves to conserve energy and resources during a short dormant period in the colder months of the year.

Despite being a commonly cultivated tree, kalachuchi is not a native but rather introduced species in the Philippines, and it is actually native to tropical America.

28/01/2026

After a long break from academic pressures, we are now back on campus, welcomed by its cool environment and locking in for the new semester. Despite the cold and seemingly wet weather, the Philippine native narra trees (𝘗𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘱𝘶𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘤𝘶𝘴) around the campus—such as this one located between the MSU-Integrated Laboratory School (ILS) and the University Cafeteria—are shedding their leaves in response to the incoming dry season.

This process, known as leaf abscission, is a physiological mechanism that allows plants to conserve energy and reduce water loss by limiting transpiration. The same seasonal behavior can also be observed in other native tropical deciduous trees such as talisay (𝘛𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘢 𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘢) and banaba (𝘓𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘢 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘰𝘴𝘢).

24/11/2025

Looks like the College of Social Sciences and Humanities (CSSH) got a winter visitor!

As the scheduled power interruption in the university and across Lanao del Sur was about to cross noontime yesterday, we spotted this migratory "butcher bird," known as the brown shrike (𝘓𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘶𝘴 𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘴), perching on a metal rod attached to a post along the covered pathway near the English Lecture (EngLer) hall of CSSH. While it was perching, we thought that it was probably waiting around for a potential prey, could be a gecko or an insect. Being an open area and displaying scattered buildings with grasses and small plants in between, the CSSH premises together with the nearby golf course seem to be a nice spot for this ambush predator to wait around for their preys.

During this winter season in the northern hemisphere, many species of migratory birds, including the brown shrikes, fly to the south from mainland Asia to escape the harsh winter and find food in warmer regions, such as the Philippines, and then they return to mainland Asia when spring comes to breed there. Due to its hospitable, warm climate and its high abundance of food supply (biodiversity), the Philippines continues to be one of the wintering grounds for many migratory birds. Hence, the conservation of various natural habitats in the Philippines and its native and endemic biodiversity is crucial for the survival of such birds.

24/11/2025

During the scheduled power interruption in the campus and across Lanao del Sur yesterday, we took the time to stroll around and observe organisms present in the campus. One of the many beautiful organisms we admired was the eurasian tree sparrow or mayang simbahan (𝘗𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘳 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘶𝘴). We observed them while they were happily snacking on the seeds of the agoho trees (𝘊𝘢𝘴𝘶𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘢 𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘢) in the Tagaytay (Taytay) area of the CNSM.

The mayang simbahan is an introduced species that has now become one of the most familiar birds that can be found in both urban and rural areas in the Philippines. They can be seen hanging around the beams and walls of churches —the origin of their local name. The introduction of the mayang simbahan is unsure but it is attributed to the arrival of the Spanish colonizers. Although there are no concrete evidence of their invasiveness as of now, they are still considered pests because of the damage they do on agricultural crops.

16/11/2025

Look who has come to the office to monitor you! 🦎

Walid Ditano excitedly shared with us this photo of a juvenile yellow-headed water monitor (𝘝𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘶𝘴 𝘤𝘶𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘪) and told us that earlier today it entered the CNSM Student Council office and fought a rat. Locally known as 𝘣𝘢𝘺𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘬 (Tagalog) and 𝘱𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘢𝘴 (Meranaw), this Philippine endemic species of monitor lizard is found only on Mindanao and nearby small islands where it inhabits forests, mangrove swamps, riverbanks, and other areas near water. Adult yellow-headed water monitors mainly prey on birds, fishes, and rodents, but their young ones primarily feed on insects. While these monitor lizards are classified as Least Concern by the IUCN Red List, their local populations are still facing threats and challenges from habitat destruction and illegal hunting for pet trade and consumption.

Many thanks to Walid and his colleagues for this photo and for properly handling their adorable visitor.

We would also like to add that this young yellow-headed water monitor is currently undergoing ecdysis, that is the process of shedding their old skin and replacing it with a new one because their body is growing! Unlike some other reptiles, monitor lizards, including this one, shed their skin not in a single piece but in many pieces. Thanks to Hayanisah Naga for pointing this one out. What a keen sight!

05/11/2025

Cute? Maybe. Merciless? Definitely.

Meet the brown shrike (𝘓𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘶𝘴 𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘴), a migratory bird that visits the Philippines and other countries when winter comes in their breeding countries. They are characterized and can be distinguished by their shrilling call or "shriek," where their common name is derived from, and a black “bandit-mask” through their eyes and a stout yet hooked bill for snatching preys.

You read it right! Despite its small size, the brown shrike is a predatory bird that feeds on insects, reptiles, rodents, and even small birds! They have a unique behavior of impaling their preys on thorns and barbed wires to either assist them in tearing their prey apart or to store them for later consumption. This behavior is also the origin for their genus, 𝘓𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘶𝘴, meaning “butcher” in Latin. Brown shrikes prefer open spaces like parks, grasslands, and agricultural lands where they have clear lines of sight for hunting.

21/10/2025

Who knew that there is actually a dragon living inside the premises of CNSM?

We couldn't help our excitement but to spend a plenty of time admiring and appreciating this young male Mindanao flying lizard (𝘋𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘰 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘯𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘴), or should we say Mindanao flying dragon, when we saw it basking in the sun on the top of a pine tree log (𝘗𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘴 sp.) beside the Ballesil Building.

The Mindanao flying lizard, also known locally as 𝘩𝘢𝘮𝘣𝘶𝘣𝘶𝘬𝘢𝘨 in Cebuano, is quite a diurnal and arboreal species of lizard that is endemic to the Philippines and is known for its gliding ability. It is characterized by its dull greyish-brown body and a vibrant tangerine orange dewlap (an inflatable loose skin under its throat) in males and a small dewlap with cream yellow tip in females. Mindanao flying lizards glide in the air from one tree to another by stretching their wing-like structures called patagia which are folds of skin membranes on lateral side of their body comparable to those of flying squirrels. This impressive locomotive behavior is an evolutionary adaption resulted from being arboreal or living in trees and their needs to escape predators, catch preys, and find potential mating partners.

If you have noticed the scientific name of Mindanao flying lizards, their genus name 𝘋𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘰 is in fact a Latin word for "dragon," and it was given to flying lizards by Carl Linnaeus, the "Father of Taxonomy," after the dragons of mythology because of these lizards' wing-like body structures resembling the wings of those mythical creatures.

Despite the misconception, Mindanao flying lizards are not venomous at all. They are currently listed as Near Threatened in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, however their populations are at risk due to the threats of habitat destruction by deforestation and other human activities. As part of showing appreciation and awareness for reptiles in the celebration of the World Reptile Day (every October 21), let us remind ourselves that every reptile out there, including this Mindanao flying lizard, plays an ecologically important role in their native habitats.

18/10/2025

When nature joins the spooky season: say hello to the ghost orchid (𝘌𝘱𝘪𝘱𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘶𝘮 𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘶𝘮)!

The ghost orchid is rather a rare and an unusual plant because it doesn’t have leaves and chlorophyll and thus doesn’t photosynthesize. It gets its nutrients entirely through a symbiotic relationship with mycorrhizal fungi from the soil or decaying organic matter like this log. Another interesting fact about them is that their flowers are already fertilized even before they bloom through a process called autonomous self-pollination (more specifically prior selfing).

The ghost orchid got its name because of its elusive nature and pale and almost transparent stem and drooping flowers. Ghost orchids can be found in tropical and subtropical countries, ranging from Africa through South and Southeast Asia (that includes the Philippines) to the Pacific islands and northern Australia. It thrives in humid, shaded forest habitats, often appearing after rainfall.

This species is indeed a surprise; It is a plant yet it doesn’t photosynthesize.

This beautiful specimen can be found in front of the College of Forestry and Environmental Studies and it was first seen and posted by professor Gregory Rule. (Thank you, sir!)

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Mindanao State University Main Campus
Marawi City

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