Northern Luzon giant bark rat

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Northern Luzon giant bark rat
Two Northern Luzon giant bark rats at the Cincinnati Zoo

Two Northern Luzon giant bark rats at the Cincinnati Zoo

Systematics
Superfamily : Mice-like (Muroidea)
Family : Long-tailed mice (Muridae)
Subfamily : Old World Mice (Murinae)
Tribe : Phloeomyini
Genre : Giant bark rats ( Phloeomys )
Type : Northern Luzon giant bark rat
Scientific name
Phloeomys pallidus
Nehring , 1890

The Northern Luzon giant bark rat ( Phloeomys pallidus ) is a large species of giant bark rats , a rodent genus of the long-tailed mouse (Muridae) family. The species is endemic to the Philippine island of Luzon .

features

This very large rodent weighs 1.9–2.6 kg and reaches a length of 75–77 cm. The tail becomes 320-349 mm long, the hind feet 81-90 mm and the ears 30-39 mm. The fur is relatively long, also covers the tail and is very variable in color, but mostly the color is pale gray-brown or white with darker brown or black fields. The animals often have a black mask and a ribbon on their necks, but they can also be completely white. The northern Luzon giant bark rat has a slender tail in contrast to the southern Luzon giant bark rat , the second species in the genus Phloeomys , which has a bushy tail. Their fur is dark brown or rusty brown.

distribution and habitat

The northern Luzon giant bark rat occurs only in the north and central part of Luzon in the Philippines , from the coast to altitudes of 2200  m . The distribution area extends over at least 12 provinces . The northern giant bark rat lives mainly in forests and bushland, but can also survive in destroyed habitats such as plantations. In some areas, the distribution area overlaps with that of the rarer Schadenberg's bark rat ( Crateromys schadenbergi ), but this species mainly lives at higher altitudes.

behavior

The giant bark rat is nocturnal and feeds mainly on various plants. Due to its size, it cannot be caught using traditional small mammal traps, making the species more difficult to explore.

Multiplication

Giant bark rats often live in pairs with one or two not yet sexually mature cubs. The litters are made in hollow trunks or in burrows in the ground.

Protection status

The giant bark rat can cause severe damage in rice plantations and is sometimes viewed as a pest . It is regularly hunted for its meat in the Sierra Madre . In some regions this has led to extinction, but overall the population appears to be stable.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d IUCN2010.4; L. Heaney, D. Balete, G. Rosell-Ambal, B. Tabaranza, Ong P., L. Ruedas, W. Oliver: id = 17004 | title = Phloeomys pallidus, 2008; June 10, 2011.
  2. ↑ a b c d e Phloeomys pallidus . Field Museum of Natural History, Synopsis of Philippine Mammals. 2010.
  3. ↑ a b c d e Oliver et al .: Cloud rats in the Philippines-preliminary report on distribution and status. In: Oryx, 1993, vol. 27: 41-48 (doi = 10.1017 / s0030605300023942)
  4. ↑ Duya: Chapter 4: Diversity of Small Mammals in Montane and Mossy Forests on Mount Cetaceo, Cagayan Province, Luzon. In: Fieldiana: Live and Earth Sciences 2011, vol. 2: 88-95. (doi = 10.3158 / 2158-5520-2.1.88)
  5. ↑ Singleton, Ravindra, Sebastian: Philippine Rats: ecology and management. PhilRice 2008.
  6. ^ Duya: Report on a Survey of Mammals of the Sierra Madre Range, Luzon Island, Philippines. In: Banwa. 2007, vol. 4: 41-68.

Web links

Commons : Northern Luzon giant bark rat ( Phloeomys pallidus )  - Collection of images, videos and audio files