The Hamiguitan hairy-tailed rat (''Batomys hamiguitan'') is one of five
species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...
of
rodent
Rodents (from Latin , 'to gnaw') are mammals of the order Rodentia (), which are characterized by a single pair of continuously growing incisors in each of the upper and lower jaws. About 40% of all mammal species are rodents. They are n ...
in the
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...
Batomys. It is in the diverse family
Muridae. This species is
found only in the
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
. is a yellow-brown animal with a long furry tail, weighs about 175 grams, and is related to several other species known in Central
Mindanao
Mindanao ( ) ( Jawi: مينداناو) is the second-largest island in the Philippines, after Luzon, and seventh-most populous island in the world. Located in the southern region of the archipelago, the island is part of an island group of ...
,
Dinagat Island
Dinagat Island is an island located northeast of Mindanao in the Philippines.
Until December 2006, it was part of the province of Surigao del Norte
Surigao del Norte ( Surigaonon: ''Probinsya nan Surigao del Norte''; ceb, Amihanang Surigao; ...
and
Luzon
Luzon (; ) is the largest and most populous island in the Philippines. Located in the northern portion of the Philippines archipelago, it is the economic and political center of the nation, being home to the country's capital city, Manila, as ...
. It lives only in an area that's at least 950 meters high, and in
dwarf mossy forests less than 10 square kilometers.
It was the last member of its genus to be discovered in May 2006.
[ According to team leader and lead author Danilo Balete, "Hamiguitan batomys is the first mammal to be described from Eastern ]Mindanao
Mindanao ( ) ( Jawi: مينداناو) is the second-largest island in the Philippines, after Luzon, and seventh-most populous island in the world. Located in the southern region of the archipelago, the island is part of an island group of ...
, and the first thought to live only in that area."
This species corroborates the hypothesis that the island of Mindanao has multiple centers of endemism
Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...
, of which the southeastern highland of Mount Hamiguitan
Mount Hamiguitan is a mountain located in the province of Davao Oriental, Philippines. It has a height of . The mountain and its vicinity has one of the most diverse wildlife populations in the country. Among the wildlife found in the area are Ph ...
is one.
References
External links
New rat species found on Philippines mountain
Phys.org, 18 February 2009
Rats of Asia
Batomys
Endemic fauna of the Philippines
Fauna of Mindanao
Rodents of the Philippines
Mammals described in 2008
{{Murinae-stub