Black-tailed dwarf cloud rat

High up in the forests of the Cordillera, a small mammal hugs a mossy branch: the Black-tailed dwarf cloud rat!

It is also known as the Greater dwarf cloud rat, written above in the artwork in Baybayin as “Malaking bulilit ng daga ng ulap”. It is likely most active at night (nocturnal) like its smaller cousin the Brown-tailed dwarf cloud rat. It is so elusive and rare, the last time it was found was in 1896 4!

Unfortunately much of the mossy forest it was found in has been lost. Since logging in the 1960s, much of the area has been converted to vegetable farms to feed more people. But mossy forest is also needed to soak up water and release it for the farms, homes, hydroelectricity, and more. Up to 5 or 6 meters of rain per year 4.

Finding the right balance is key to ensuring there is enough food, water, and forest for all life in the clouds. Like how a dwarf cloud rat balances on a branch in the sky.

THIS ARTWORK AND RESEARCH IS DEDICATED TO THE LATE DANILO BALETE

Danilo Balete was involved in the discovery of more than half of the known small mammals in the Philippines 1. Originally from Bicol, Balete introduced conservation measures on Mt. Isarog with the Haribon Foundation, and later worked on the Philippines mammal project of The Field Museum in Chicago, Illinois in the United States 2.

The species name beneficus is from the Latin for “beneficial”. It is in dedication to the benefactor who funded Balete’s high school and college education, and supported his interest in Philippine wildlife 3.

Danilo Balete passed away in 2017.

“It is extraordinary that so many new species of mammals remain to be discovered in the Philippines… In the past 10 years we’ve published formal descriptions of 10 other species, and other biologists have described five more. And we are nowhere close to the end of our discoveries. The Philippines may have the greatest concentration of unique species of animals of any country in the world.”Danilo Balete, in an article in the ScienceDaily, “Seven new species of mammals discovered on Luzon, Philippines” (2011).

CLOUD RATS OF THE PHILIPPINES

SOURCES

  1. J. Alvarez. 2017. “Danny Balete: One of the finest field biologists the Philippines has ever seen.” University of the Philippines Los Baños. (Last accessed May 7, 2019).
  2. E. Gatumbato. 2017. “Danny B, a conservation hero.” The Visayan Daily Star.
  3. Heaney, Balete et al. 2014. Three New Species of Musseromys (Muridae, Rodentia).
  4. ScienceDaily, 2008. Dwarf Cloud Rat Rediscovered After 112 Years.

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