Dinagat Cloud Rat
Also known as: Dinagat bushy-tailed cloud rat · Crateromys australis
Definition
The Dinagat cloud rat (Crateromys australis), also called the Dinagat bushy-tailed cloud rat, is a large arboreal rodent endemic to Dinagat Island in the Philippines. It has grizzled brownish fur, a conspicuously long bicolored tail, and a body among the largest of the country’s cloud rats. Described in 1975 and unseen by scientists for decades, it was rediscovered in 2012 during a joint Filipino-Czech field expedition, and its small island habitat is under heavy pressure from mining and deforestation. (Wikipedia)
Identities
| Source Type | Identity |
|---|---|
| Wikipedia | Dinagat bushy-tailed cloud rat |
| Wikidata | Q304959 |
| DBpedia | N/A |
| ProductOntology | N/A |
| Wiktionary | N/A |
| Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) | N/A |
| MeSH | N/A |
| NCBI Taxonomy | Crateromys australis |
| AGROVOC | rodent pests |
| Google Scholar | Crateromys australis Dinagat cloud rat rediscovery endemic Philippines conservation |
| ConceptNet | rat |
| OpenCyc | N/A |
Also Known As
- Dinagat bushy-tailed cloud rat
- Crateromys australis
Examples and Analogies
- Island Endemism: The species lives nowhere else on Earth, making Dinagat Island to this rat what Galapagos islands are to their finches.
- Nocturnal Canopy Dweller: Like a squirrel-sized night monkey of the forest roof, it moves through trees after dark, feeding on plant matter.
Usage Scenarios
1. Conservation Flagship
Environmental groups cite the rat as a reason to declare stricter protection for Dinagat’s remaining lowland forest.
2. Biodiversity Research
Survey teams use camera traps and interviews with residents to map where the species survives.
Strategies
- Protect primary forest patches outside mining claims as refuges for the species.
- Require biodiversity assessments in mineral reservation areas before expansion of extraction.
Security and Safety Measures
- Field researchers handle the species under wildlife research permits consistent with the Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act.
- Communities are discouraged from hunting or trading the species, which is protected by law.
Historical Context
The species was described in 1975 from a specimen collected near Loreto on Dinagat. Because Dinagat was largely covered by a mineral reservation and little surveyed, the rat went unrecorded by science for nearly four decades, leading to fears it was extinct. In 2012 an expedition team documented living individuals, confirming its survival and elevating its importance in debates over the island’s mining economy. (Wikipedia)
Challenges and Controversies
Mining Versus Habitat
Much of Dinagat lies within a long-standing mineral reservation, and chromite and nickel operations overlap the lowland forest the rat depends on.
Limited Data
Few specimens and sightings mean its population size, range, and ecology remain poorly known, complicating conservation planning.