Filipino biologists biography and their contributions

Filipino zoologist and biologist

Danilo S. Balete (1960 in the Bicol Region of the Philippines – July 1, 2017), also known as Danny Balete, was a Filipino zoologist and biologist. His is known for his work on the Philippines' endemic mammal species.^[1][2] He pursued the question of what determines species diversity. The research by Balete and his team overturned previously held notions that diversity decreased in mountainous regions, showing that harsh environments could generate, rather than suppress, species diversity.^[3][4]

His research also included non-mammals and plants. He is credited for the discovery of several species of Rafflesia.^[2]

Early life and education

Balete grew up in the Bicol Region of Luzon. He grew up on a small farm where he learned to ride carabaos and catch fish by hand.^[5]

From 1984 to 1988 he studied at the University of the Philippines in Los Baños, where he obtained the Bachelor of Science in Zoology.^[6] In 1989 he became a member of the Philippine Mammal Project of the Field Museum of Natural History. He spent eight months of the year as an expedition leader in the rainforest and about four months with a research team from the Field Museum o