Ilin Cloud Runner
Also known as: Crateromys paulus (scientific name) · Ilin Island cloudrunner · Ilin bushy-tailed cloud rat
Definition
The Ilin cloud runner (Crateromys paulus), also called the Ilin Island cloudrunner, is a small, little-known cloud rat known only from Ilin Island off southwestern Mindoro in the Philippines, described from a single specimen collected in 1953 and never confirmed since, making it one of the most mysterious mammals in the country. Extensive clearing of the small island’s forest has left scientists uncertain whether the species survives, and it is treated as possibly extinct, a cautionary emblem of how narrow island endemism meets rapid habitat loss. (Wikipedia)
Identities
| Source Type | Identity |
|---|---|
| Wikipedia | Ilin Island cloudrunner |
| Wikidata | Q304226 |
| DBpedia | N/A |
| ProductOntology | N/A |
| Wiktionary | N/A |
| Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) | N/A |
| MeSH | N/A |
| NCBI Taxonomy | Crateromys paulus |
| AGROVOC | wildlife |
| Google Scholar | Crateromys paulus Ilin cloudrunner Ilin Island Mindoro possibly extinct endemic cloud rat |
| ConceptNet | rodent |
| OpenCyc | N/A |
Also Known As
- Crateromys paulus (scientific name)
- Ilin Island cloudrunner
- Ilin bushy-tailed cloud rat
Examples and Analogies
- One-Specimen Enigma: For decades the entire scientific knowledge of the species rested on a single museum skin, like judging a whole book species from one torn page.
- Cloud Rat Cousin: It belongs to the same arboreal rodent family as the well-known giant cloud rats of Luzon and Panay, but stands out for having the smallest known stage of all, a single small island.
Usage Scenarios
1. Extinction-Risk Assessment
Conservation bodies cite it in discussions of “possibly extinct” Philippine mammals and in planning rediscovery surveys.
2. Museum-Based Research
Genetic work on the surviving specimen informs cloud rat phylogeny and the biogeography of the Mindoro faunal region.
Strategies
- Conduct camera-trap and local-interview surveys on Ilin and adjacent Mindoro coasts to pursue rediscovery.
- Protect any remaining natural vegetation patches on Ilin Island as potential refugia for the species and other endemics.
Security and Safety Measures
- Survey teams on small islands should coordinate with barangay officials and prepare self-sufficient logistics, as medical support is distant.
- Any live capture attempts must follow humane protocols and permitting under Philippine wildlife law.
Historical Context
The species entered science through a specimen collected on Ilin Island in 1953, and despite Mindoro’s proximity to Manila, no further confirmed record followed in the twentieth century as the island’s forest gave way to settlement and farming. Mammalogists visiting Ilin in the 1990s and 2000s found heavily altered habitat and no verified animals, and the cloud rat is now flagged alongside other Philippine island endemics in global assessments of possibly extinct mammals, driving calls for survey effort before any surviving population vanishes unnoticed. (Wikipedia)
Challenges and Controversies
Possible Extinction
The species may already be lost, but without a carcass or definitive survey, its status remains unresolved.
Habitat on a Tiny Island
Ilin’s limited area means even small-scale clearing eliminates entire habitat blocks, leaving little margin for error.