The giant bushy-tailed cloud rat or Luzon bushy-tailed cloud rat (''Crateromys schadenbergi'') is a large,

endangered An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and in ...

species 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 family

Muridae The Muridae, or murids, are the largest family of rodents and of mammals, containing approximately 1,383 species, including many species of mice, rats, and gerbils found naturally throughout Eurasia, Africa, and Australia. The name Muridae comes ...

. It is only found in

pine A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family (biology), family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. The World Flora Online created by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Missouri Botanic ...

and mossy forest at altitudes of in the Central Cordillera of

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 ...

, 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 ...

.Field Museum of Natural History (2010).
Crateromys schadenbergi.
' Synopsis of Philippine Mammals. Accessed June 10, 2011 Relatively little is known about its behavior, but it is

nocturnal Nocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal", versus diurnal meaning the opposite. Nocturnal creatures generally have highly developed sens ...

, mainly

arboreal Arboreal locomotion is the locomotion of animals in trees. In habitats in which trees are present, animals have evolved to move in them. Some animals may scale trees only occasionally, but others are exclusively arboreal. The habitats pose nu ...

and feeds on various types of vegetation. It is rarer than the

northern Luzon giant cloud rat The northern Luzon giant cloud rat (''Phloeomys pallidus'') or northern Luzon slender-tailed cloud rat, also known as ''bu-ot'' in Filipino, is a large species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is only found in Luzon, the Philippines. Appearan ...

, a shorter-haired species that mainly occurs at lower elevations, but locally the giant bushy-tailed cloud rat remains moderately common in oak-pine forest. The primary threats are hunting and

habitat loss Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is the process by which a natural habitat becomes incapable of supporting its native species. The organisms that previously inhabited the site are displaced or dead, thereby ...

. The appearance of the giant bushy-tailed cloud rat has been described as spectacular, and it appears to be an equivalent of large tropical

tree squirrels Tree squirrels are the members of the squirrel family (Sciuridae) commonly just referred to as "squirrels." They include more than 100 arboreal species native to all continents except Antarctica and Oceania. They do not form a single natural, or ...

, which are not found in Luzon. It weighs and is long. The very long, soft fur, which also covers the tail, is typically all black, but some individuals have white patches.

References

External links

* Rats of Asia Crateromys Endemic fauna of the Philippines Fauna of Luzon Rodents of the Philippines Mammals described in 1895 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{Murinae-stub