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Keywords on this page:
Philippines, Grande Island, Hill 394, JEST, Malawaan Pier,
Mangrove Graveyard, Mt. Pinatubo crater trek, Pamulaklakin Forest
Trails, Pastolan Aeta Village, Redondo Beaches, Shipwrecks, Ocean
adventure, whales
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Subic Bay Freeport (SBF) is located southwest of the Luzon Island in the
Philippines. The harbor is sandwiched by the Zambales Mountain Range at the
east and the Subic Bay at the west and opens up to the South China Sea
Subic Bay Beaches and more
Tourist Activities & Attractions
3
SUBIC BEACHES
The sun. The sand. The sky. And a vast stretch
of marvelous sea waiting to be explored -
Dungaree, Officers', All Hands, Miracle, Nabasan,
Hidden, Grande Island.
TRIBOA BAY MANGROVE PARK
Drive through Subic's low-lying forest through
the mangroves, via boardwalk to the Triboa Bay
Marine Park. This bay is home to a nursery and
breeding site for clams, crustaceans and fish.
WATERFRONT BOARDWALK
Watch the majestic rising and setting of the
sun, as it unfolds all its beauty over the Subic
Bay. Complementing the grandeur of the mountains
of the Redondo Peninsula, it is truly a sight to
behold.
SUBIC BAY'S FLYING FOXES
This camp of over 10,000 fruit bats, readily
seen at the Subic Bay Freeport, is one of the
last large bat colonies of its kind. Found only
in the Philippines, the Golden Crowned Flying
Fox (Acerodon jubatus) and the Philippine Giant
Fruit Bat (Pteropus vampyrus lanensis) are the
largest bats in the world, with wingspans up to
2 meters. Bats such as these eat only plants and
are critically important to the health of
tropical forests in the Philippines.
By dispersing the seeds of forest fruits and
spreading pollen between the forest flowers they
visit, fruit bats maintain and restore forests
by aiding in the reproduction of forest plants.
Many fruit crops important to people, such as
durian, wild banana, and kapok, also rely on
fruit bats for their reproduction. Their cute,
puppy-like faces add to their appeal. Despite
this, fruit bats are heavily hunted, and the
loss of their forest homes has made many of
these bats endangered with extinction.
SUBIC BAY'S BAMBOO BATS
The bamboo bat, Tylonycteris sp., is the
smallest bat found in the Philippines. With a
total wingspan smaller than a child's hand
length and weighing only about 2 grams, it is
just slightly larger than the world's smallest
bat. Both of the world's two species of bamboo
bats are found in the Philippines, and Subic Bay
with its large bamboo forests is an important
host to these bats.
They have flat skulls that allow them to easily
enter the bamboo holes originally created by
chrysomelid beetles. Their suction cup feet make
it easy to hang upside-down on the smooth inside
of the bamboo. Bamboo bats typically give birth
to twins and roost in harems, meaning one mating
male with many mating females and all their
offspring.
Sometimes as many as 40 little bamboo bats may
be found roosting together in a single bamboo
chamber. These bats emerge from their bamboo
hide-away at dusk to feed on insects, especially
termite swarms, and by dawn have already
returned to their home. So, bamboo bats are best
seen in the sky when the sun is setting. (Source
WWF Subic)
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