Kalatungan Mountain Range is a mountain range in the central portion of the province of

Bukidnon Bukidnon(), officially the Province of Bukidnon ( ceb, Lalawigan sa Bukidnon; fil, Lalawigan ng Bukidnon; hil, Kapuroan sang Bukidnon; Binukid and Higaonon: ''Probinsya ta Bukidnon''), is a landlocked province in the Philippines located in the ...

, the Philippines. It is one of the few areas in the province covered with old growth or mossy forests. It covers an area of approximately 213.0134 km² (82.24493 mi²), with about 113.7175 km² (43.90657 mi²) identified as part of the critical watershed area declared under Presidential Decree 127, issued on June 29, 1987 (Muleta-Manupali Watershed). The water from two rivers, the Muleta and Manupali Rivers, flood the multimillion dam project of the Philippine

National Irrigation Administration The National Irrigation Administration (NIA) ( fil, Pambansang Pangasiwaan ng Patubig) is a Philippine government-owned and controlled corporation primarily responsible for irrigation development and management in the country. History NIA was ...

(NIA). The rivers drain into the Pulangi River, the site of a

National Power Corporation The National Power Corporation ( fil, Pambansang Korporasyon sa Elektrisidad, also known as Napocor, NPC or National Power), is a Philippine government-owned and controlled corporation that is mandated to provide electricity to all rural areas o ...

hydroelectric dam.

Geography

The mountain range is in the central section of the

province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''Roman province, provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire ...

A neighbor of

Kitanglad Mountain Range Kitanglad Mountain Range is a mountain range that dominates the northern central portion of the province of Bukidnon. It occupies portions of eight of the municipalities and cities in the province such as Talakag, Baungon, Libona, Manolo Fortic ...

. It lies between the coordinates 8°00’ and 8°60’ latitude and between 124°35’ and 124°60’ longitude. It is bounded on the north by the municipality of

Talakag Talakag, officially the Municipality of Talakag ( Bukid and Higaonon: Banuwa ta Talakag; ceb, Lungsod sa Talakag; tl, Bayan ng Talakag), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Bukidnon, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has ...

, on the west by the municipality of

Lantapan Lantapan, officially the Municipality of Lantapan ( Bukid and Higaonon: Banuwa ta Lantapan; ceb, Lungsod sa Lantapan; tl, Bayan ng Lantapan), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Bukidnon, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, i ...

and the city of

Valencia Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, Valencia and the Municipalities of Spain, third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is ...

, and on the south by the municipality of

Pangantucan Pangantucan, officially the Municipality of Pangantucan ( ceb, Lungsod sa Pangantucan; tl, Bayan ng Pangantucan), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Bukidnon, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 56,580 p ...

. Its eastern side is bordered by both

and

Peaks

Kalatungan Mountain Range peaks by elevation. *

Mount Kalatungan Mount Kalatungan, also known as Catatungan, is a volcanic mountain located in the province of Bukidnon in the southern Philippines. It is a stratovolcano with no known historical eruptions and classified by the Philippine Institute of Volcanolog ...

Mount Makaupao Mount is often used as part of the name of specific mountains, e.g. Mount Everest. Mount or Mounts may also refer to: Places * Mount, Cornwall, a village in Warleggan parish, England * Mount, Perranzabuloe, a hamlet in Perranzabuloe parish, Co ...

Mount Kilakron Mount is often used as part of the name of specific mountains, e.g. Mount Everest. Mount or Mounts may also refer to: Places * Mount, Cornwall, a village in Warleggan parish, England * Mount, Perranzabuloe, a hamlet in Perranzabuloe parish, C ...

* Maluso Peak * Itabingon Peak

Climate

The area of the Kalatungan Mountain Range falls under the Type III climate which is characterized as having a short dry season lasting only one to three months and no very pronounced maximum rainy period. Average temperature is 24.7 °C. The area receives its most rainfall in June. The driest month is March. Relative humidity varies from 71% in May to 86% in September. The area is mostly cloud-covered throughout the year.

Hydrological features

The range is the origin of the headwaters of the tributaries of the major river systems in Bukidnon—

Pulangi River The Pulangi River ( Cebuano pronunciation IPA uˈlaŋi, also spelled Pulangui, is one of the major tributaries of the Rio Grande de Mindanao, an extensive river system in Mindanao, Philippines. With a length of , it is the longest river in Buk ...

Cagayan River The Cagayan River, also known as the Río Grande de Cagayán, is the longest river and the largest river by discharge volume of water in the Philippines. It has a total length of approximately and a drainage basin covering . It is located in t ...

, and

Maradugao River The Maradugao River (also called Maridugao and Maridagao) is a river that serves as a natural boundary between the provinces of Bukidnon and Lanao del Sur in Mindanao in southern Philippines. It joins the Pulangi River in Cotabato. Sources The r ...

, Sawaga River. Among these rivers are the Bangahan River in the southwest, Ticalaan River in the northwest, Lantay River in the south, and Manupali River in the north. Also found in the vicinity of the mountain range are streams that flow through

waterfalls A waterfall is a point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf. Waterfalls can be formed in several wa ...

, cascades and

rapids Rapids are sections of a river where the river bed has a relatively steep gradient, causing an increase in water velocity and turbulence. Rapids are hydrological features between a ''run'' (a smoothly flowing part of a stream) and a ''cascade''. ...

Wetlands A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in the soils. The ...

and

marshes A marsh is a wetland that is dominated by herbaceous rather than woody plant species.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p Marshes can often be found at ...

, although not significant in area, are also found within the range. The mountain range exhibits a radial drainage pattern.

Cultural and biological diversity

Indigenous Manobo and Talaandig people live in the mountain range and consider it part of their ancestral lands. They consider the forest sacred and have taken care of it for centuries. The mountain range is a key biodiversity area, home to at least 129 animal species and 342 plant species. A number of endangered or vulnerable species are found on the mountain range, such as the

Philippine eagle The Philippine eagle (''Pithecophaga jefferyi''), also known as the monkey-eating eagle or great Philippine eagle, is a critically endangered species of eagle of the family Accipitridae which is endemic to forests in the Philippines. It has br ...

Philippine hawk eagle The Philippine hawk-eagle or north Philippine hawk-eagle (''Nisaetus philippensis''), earlier treated under ''Spizaetus'', is a species of bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. Many taxonomists consider the Pinsker's hawk-eagle, a former subsp ...

flying fox ''Pteropus'' (suborder Yinpterochiroptera) is a genus of megabats which are among the largest bats in the world. They are commonly known as fruit bats or flying foxes, among other colloquial names. They live in South Asia, Southeast Asia, Aust ...

Philippine warty pig The Philippine warty pig (''Sus philippensis'') is one of four known species in the pig genus ('' Sus'') endemic to the Philippines. The other three endemic species are the Visayan warty pig (''S. cebifrons''), Mindoro warty pig (''S. oliveri'') ...

, and

Philippine deer The Philippine deer (''Rusa marianna''), also known as the Philippine sambar or Philippine brown deer, is a vulnerable deer species endemic to the Philippines. It was first described from introduced populations in the Mariana Islands, hence t ...

. The Mindanao pygmy fruit bat is also found on the range. Endemic tree species that dominate the area are the katmon, white lauan, red lauan, bagtikan, and bikal-boboi, as well as the threatened almasiga. Indigenous communities take part in conservation efforts in the area.

References

External links

Mount Kalatungan Range Natural Park Official Site
{{Protected areas in Northern Mindanao Mountain ranges of the Philippines Landforms of Bukidnon Mount Kalatungan Range