A species of rat that has not been recorded for around 112 years was recently rediscovered in the northern Philippines by a team of biologists. The greater dwarf cloud rat (Carpomys melanurus) was once thought extinct but a single specimen was rediscovered in a mossy canopy within a mature stand of montane forest.
There are six species of cloud rats and all are endemic to the Philippines. Cloud rats are nocturnal and poorly understood hence making an excellent graduate studies opportunity for any budding biologist. From Yahoo! India News:
It has dense, soft reddish-brown fur, a black mask around large dark eyes, small rounded ears, a broad and blunt snout, and a long tail covered with dark hair.An adult weighs about 185 grams, according to the research team.
“This beautiful little animal was seen by biologists only once previously by a British researcher in 1896 who was given several specimens by local people, so he knew almost nothing about the ecology of the species,” said Lawrence Heaney, Curator of Mammals at the Field Museum and Project Leader.
“Since then, the species has been a mystery, in part because there is virtually no forest left on Mt. Data, where it was first found,” he added.
Project co-Leader Danilo Balete, a research associate at the Philippine National Museum, captured the dwarf cloud rat during the first comprehensive survey of the small mammals of Mt. Pulag National Park.
More information at ScienceDaily.
