Cloud rat explained

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), Carpomys (dwarf cloud rats), Crateromys (bushy-tailed cloud rats), Musseromys (Luzon tree mice), and Phloeomys (giant cloud rats). They range in size from as large as 50cm (20inches) to as small as 74mm. Cloud rats are threatened by habitat loss and illegal hunting. Several species are endangered or critically endangered.^[1]

Description

Cloud rats are characterized by long furry or hairy tails and short hind limbs with grasping feet. They spend most of their time in the canopy of cloud forests, hence the name "cloud rat" or "cloudrunner". They are believed to be entirely herbivorous, primarily eating leaves, buds, bark, fruits, and seeds. Their ecology and behavior are poorly known. Cloud rats belonging to the genera Batomys, Crateromys, and Phloeomys are typically large, with the largest species being Phloeomys pallidus (reaching up to 2.7kg (06lb) in weight) and Crateromys schadenbergi (reaching up to 1.5kg (03.3lb) in weight). They measure from around 20to in length. Members of the genera Carpomys and Batomys are smaller, with a maximum weight of 165g and 225g, respectively. The smallest are members of the recently-described genus Musseromys, with a recorded weight of only 15.5g and body lengths of only 74to.^[2]

Conservation

Several species of cloud rats are classified as endangered or critically endangered by the IUCN. Cloud rats are primarily threatened with habitat loss and human encroachment due to the extensive deforestation of the Philippines. Larger species of cloud rats (Phloeomys and Crateromys spp.) are also hunted for food, usually by hunter-gatherer tribes in the mountains of the Philippines. In some areas, they are the most commonly hunted species, and hundreds of animals are estimated to be killed annually. Hunting or possession of wildlife is illegal in the Philippines, under Republic Act 9147 (the Wildlife Protection and Conservation Law of 2001), but enforcement still remains problematic.^{[3] [4] [5] [6] [7]}

Several zoos keep and breed cloud rats in captivity; including the London Zoo,^[8] Prague Zoo, Central Park Zoo, Bronx Zoo, Wingham Wildlife Park,^[9] Chester Zoo,^[10] and the Jerusalem Biblical Zoo.^[11]

Taxonomy

The cloud rat clade (the "Phloeomys division", sensu Musser & Carleton, 2005), now treated as the tribe Phloeomyini (LeCompte et al., 2008), includes the closely related genera Batomys (hairy-taled rats), Carpomys (dwarf cloud rats), Crateromys (bushy-tailed cloud rats), Musseromys (Luzon tree mice), and Phloeomys (giant cloud rats). They belong to the subfamily Murinae of the family Muridae (rats and mice).^{[12] [13]}

Note: Extinct species known only from fossils are marked with

• Tribe Phloeomyini
  • Batomys - Hairy-tailed rats^{[14] [15]}
    • Batomys dentatus - Large-toothed hairy-tailed rat
    • Batomys granti - Luzon hairy-tailed rat
    • Batomys hamiguitan - Hamiguitan hairy-tailed rat
    • Batomys russatus - Dinagat hairy-tailed rat
    • Batomys salomonseni - Mindanao hairy-tailed rat
    • Batomys uragon
    • Batomys cagayanensis ^[16]
  • Carpomys - Dwarf cloud rats
    • Carpomys melanurus - Dwarf cloud rat, short-footed Luzon tree rat
    • Carpomys phaeurus - White-bellied Luzon tree rat
    • Carpomys dakal
  • Crateromys - Bushy-tailed cloud rats
    • Crateromys australis - Dinagat Island cloud rat, rediscovered in 2012
    • Crateromys schadenbergi - Giant bushy-tailed cloud rat
    • Crateromys paulus - Ilin Island cloud rat, collected in 1981 through a dead specimen^[17]
    • Crateromys heaneyi - Panay bushy-tailed cloud rat
    • Crateromys ballik
  • Musseromys - Luzon tree mice
    • Musseromys anacuao
    • Musseromys beneficus
    • Musseromys gulantang - Banahaw tree mouse
    • Musseromys inopinatus
  • Phloeomys - Giant cloud rats
    • Phloeomys pallidus - Northern Luzon slender-tailed cloud rat
    • Phloeomys cumingi - Southern Luzon slender-tailed cloud rat

See also

• Apomys (earthworm mice)
• List of threatened species of the Philippines

Notes and References

1. Book: van der Geer, Alexandra. etal. Evolution of island mammals : adaptation and extinction of placental mammals on islands. 2010. Wiley-Blackwell. Hoboken, NJ. 978-1-4051-9009-1. 226.
2. Web site: Musser . Guy . Cloud rat . Britannica . Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. . 23 April 2021.
3. Oliver . W. L. R. . Cox . C. R. . Gonzales . P. C. . Heaney . L. R. . Cloud rats in the Philippines — preliminary report on distribution and status . Oryx . January 1993 . 27 . 1 . 41–48 . 10.1017/S0030605300023942. free .
4. Heaney . L.R. . Mallari . N.A.D. . A preliminary analysis of current gaps in the protection of threatened Philippine terrestrial mammals . Sylvatrop . 2002 . 10 . 2000 . 28–39.
5. News: Russell . Ruby . Cloud rats of the sky islands: 28 new mammal species found in the Philippines . 23 April 2021 . DW . 19 July 2016.
6. News: A rediscovery of Dinagat bushy-tailed cloud rat helped starting conservation activities on Dinagat Island, Philippines. . 23 April 2021 . Tarsius Project.
7. News: Flora . Ian Ocampo . 2 giant cloud rats rescued . 23 April 2021 . SunStar . 5 April 2021.
8. News: Cloud rat arrives at London Zoo . . 2004-11-11 . 2008-04-28.
9. Web site: Northern Luzon Cloud Rat. Wingham Wildlife Park. en . 5 September 2019.
10. News: Chester Zoo has just become home to a tree kangaroo called Sangria . . 2018-05-23 . 2019-10-04.
11. Web site: White Nights Exhibit . 2022-06-01 . www.jerusalemzoo.org.
12. Heaney . Lawrence R. . Balete . Danilo S. . Rickart . Eric A. . Veluz . Maria Josefa . Jansa . Sharon A. . Three New Species of Musseromys (Muridae, Rodentia), the Endemic Philippine Tree Mouse from Luzon Island . American Museum Novitates . 16 May 2014 . 3802 . 1–27 . 10.1206/3802.1. 53542249 .
13. Heaney . Lawrence Richard . Balete . Danilo S. . Duya . Mariano Roy M. . Duya . Melizar V. . Jansa . Sharon A. . Steppan . Scott J. . Rickart . Eric A. . Doubling diversity: a cautionary tale of previously unsuspected mammalian diversity on a tropical oceanic island . Frontiers of Biogeography . 15 July 2016 . 8 . 2 . 10.21425/F58229667. free .
14. Balete, D.S. . Heaney, L.R. . Rickart, E.A. . Quidlat, R.S. . Ibañez, J.C. . 2008 . A new species of Batomys (Mammalia: Muridae) from eastern Mindanao Island, Philippines . Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington . 121 . 4 . 411–428 . 10.2988/07-47.1. 129828157 .
15. Balete, D.S. . Rickart, E.A. . Heaney, L.R. . Jansa, S.A. . 2015 . A new species of Batomys (Muridae, Rodentia) from southern Luzon Island, Philippines . Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington . 128 . 1 . 22–39 . 10.2988/0006-324X-128.1.22. free .
16. Ochoa. Janine. Mijares. Armand S B. Piper. Philip J. Reyes. Marian C. Heaney. Lawrence R. 2021-04-23. Three new extinct species from the endemic Philippine cloud rat radiation (Rodentia, Muridae, Phloeomyini). Journal of Mammalogy. 102. gyab023. 909–930. 10.1093/jmammal/gyab023. 0022-2372.
17. Reyes. Marian C.. Ingicco. Thomas. Piper. Philip J.. Amano. Noel. Pawlik. Alfred F.. January 2017. First fossil evidence of the extinct Philippine cloud rat Crateromys paulus (Muridae: Murinae: Phloeomyini) from Ilin Island, Mindoro, and insights into its Holocene abundance. Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington. 130. 1. 84–97. 10.2988/17-00012. 135196784.