The Ilin Island cloudrunner (''Crateromys paulus'') is a critically endangered
cloud rat
The cloud rats or cloudrunners are a tribe (Phloeomyini) of arboreal and nocturnal herbivorous rodents endemic to the cloud forests of the Philippines. They belong to the family Muridae and include five genera: ''Batomys'' (hairy-tailed rats), ' ...
from
Ilin Island
Ilin Island is a small island in the Philippines. Measuring , it is just south of Mindoro, separated by the Ilin Strait and Mangarin Bay. To the west is the smaller Ambulong Island, across the Ambulong Strait.
Politically, the island is part of ...
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 ...
. It is called ''siyang'' by the
Taubuwid Mangyan
Mangyan is the generic name for the eight indigenous groups found on the island of Mindoro, southwest of the island of Luzon, the Philippines, each with its own tribal name, language, and customs. The total population may be around 280,001, ...
. It is a fluffy-coated, bushy-tailed rat and may have emerged from tree hollows at night to feed on fruits and leaves. It is known from one specimen, collected on 4 April 1953, and presented to the
National Museum of Natural History
The National Museum of Natural History is a natural history museum administered by the Smithsonian Institution, located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., United States. It has free admission and is open 364 days a year. In 2021, with 7 ...
in
Washington D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, Na ...
The island's forests have been destroyed by human activity. The cloudrunner is among the 25 “most wanted lost” species that are the focus of Global Wildlife Conservation’s “Search for Lost Species” initiative.
References
* Flannery, Tim F., and Peter Schouten. ''A gap in nature : discovering the world's extinct animals.'' Melbourne: Text Pub, 2001. Print.
*
*Musser, G. G. and M. D. Carleton. 2005. Superfamily Muroidea. pp. 894–1531 ''in'' Mammal Species of the World a Taxonomic and Geographic Reference. D. E. Wilson and D. M. Reeder eds. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore.
;Specific
{{Taxonbar, from=Q304226
Crateromys
Rodents of the Philippines
Mammals described in 1981
Endemic fauna of the Philippines
Fauna of Mindoro