Hamiguitan hairy-tailed rat
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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 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