Large-toothed batomys - Philippine Wildlife Art

Main image - Large toothed batomys rat playing with leaves with rice terraces in the background. — The Large-toothed batomys (*Batomys dentatus*) is named after its large molars.

Meet the Large-toothed batomys! It lives in the trees, high on the mountain tops. The only one ever found was discovered 2,100 meters high in the town of Atok in Benguet ¹.

Scientists call it “large-toothed” because when compared to its Batomys cousins on other mountains, it has the biggest molars ².

It lives in the trees of cool, wet, mossy forests, though they spend some time on the ground too. And they’re vegetarians! ¹. It is also the largest of all Batomys, and it’s the only one in the genus with a tail with two colors: brown with the last third of the tail white ².

Scientists have found possible evidence that relatives of the Large-toothed batomys found their way from today’s Cordillera, to Bicol… when Bicol was still an island! Bicol was once separate from what is now the complete island of Luzon that we know today ¹.

Unfortunately, the last time anyone has seen a Large-toothed batomys was when it was discovered in 1910. That was more than 100 years ago! ³. Scientists searched far and wide on many mountains since the early 2000’s, and not a single Large-toothed batomys has been found yet ³.

Why is this species important?

It lives in forest where people not only enjoy the outdoors by trekking or hiking, but where people also are dependent on forest resources (i.e bamboo, firewood, medicine). This species is a sign of how healthy the forest is. If the forest is not healthy enough for it, the forest may no longer be healthy enough to sustain other species, including humans.
These forests are ecosystems, or places where life and the physical environment together form connected relationships and sustain each other ⁴. The forest ecosystem is important because they deliver water to us, and they absorb carbon dioxide and help control our climate ⁵.
These species live on what we call Sky Islands. These are ancient areas of biodiversity high on top of mountains in the Philippines. We may not have temples like the long lost Aztecs or our neighboring Cambodians, but we have a living heritage: our Sky Islands!

How you can help

Reach out to local DENR offices in Benguet province and ask how you can volunteer or assist in existing programs, or even surveys of these areas.
Support Indigenous Peoples groups protecting their Ancestral Domains in the Cordillera mountain range.
Read studies and examples of successful conservation efforts that empower local communities. Use your resources to connect local organizations in the Cordillera with support, funding, and training to start or continue local conservation efforts.
If you do not live in Benguet or are too far to visit, research into national forest laws that you can support, like the Forest Resources Bill.
Donate or volunteer with local environmental NGOs.
Continue educating yourself and others on the importance of local biodiversity and ecosystems for people, and the planet.

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 ⁶. 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 ⁷.

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).

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