Mt. Amuyao Tree-mouse

Amuyao tree-mouse - Musseromys inopinatus

Say hello to a little Mt. Amuyao Tree-mouse, Musseromys inopinatus! (But quietly, it’s sleeping)

It is named after Mt. Amuyao where it was found, near the heart of the Cordillera mountain range. It is one of four species of tree-mouse that are considered the smallest of all cloud rats. This includes the Mt. Banahaw tree-mouse, Mt. Pulag Tree-mouse and the Sierra Madre Tree-mouse (Heaney, Balete, et al. 2014).

Mt. Amuyao is not only home to unique mice, it is also home to over 250 plant species which include trees, herbs, ferns, vines, and bamboo (PVG Salcedo, 2001). The mountain is also an important place in Indigenous history. Local Ifugao communities tell a story of a great flood where one of the only two survivors was able to stay alive on Mt. Amuyao (D Eugenio 2007).

It is hoped that cloud rats will also survive there despite their unique and threatened habitat: the “sky island,” or isolated mossy mountain tops where cloud rats and other species have lived for possibly millions of years. Sky islands are “cool hotspots” for biodiversity!

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

Cloud rat art prints: https://society6.com/philippinewildlifeart/collection/cloud-rats-of-the-philippines-5848802

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).