Northern Luzon giant cloud rat


The northern Luzon giant cloud rat, also known as the northern Luzon slender-tailed cloud rat, is a large species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is only found in Luzon, the Philippines.

Appearance

This very large rodent weighs and is long, including its tail. The colour of its relatively long pelage, which also covers the tail, is highly variable, but usually it is mostly very pale brown-grey or white with some dark brown or black patches. They often have a black mask and collar, but can also be entirely white. The only other member of the genus Phloeomys, the southern Luzon giant cloud rat, has a more southerly distribution, generally is smaller and it is entirely dark brown; however, the occasional brown Northern Luzon giant cloud rat has been reported in the Mountain Province, and the taxonomic limits between the two Phloeomys are not fully resolved.

Distribution and habitat

The northern Luzon giant cloud rat is only found in northern and central part of Luzon, the Philippines. It is found in at least 12 provinces. The northern Luzon giant cloud rat prefers forest and scrub, but also occurs in degraded habitats such as plantations. It occurs from sea level to an altitude of about. In some areas it overlaps with the rarer giant bushy-tailed cloud rat, but that species mainly occurs at higher altitudes than the northern Luzon giant cloud rat.

Behavior

The northern Luzon giant cloud rat is nocturnal and feeds on various types of vegetation. Because of its relatively large size, it does not enter traditional small-mammal traps and this has limited research in the species.

Reproduction

Northern Luzon giant cloud rats often live in pairs with one or two dependent young. They give birth in hollow boles of trees or in burrows in the ground. The sperm head of northern Luzon giant cloud rat has a short apical hook, with the sperm tail attached off-center basally. The tail of the sperm is about 127 µm long.

Conservation status

The northern Luzon giant cloud rat can cause extensive damage to rice crops and are sometimes considered a pest. They are regularly hunted for food in the Sierra Madre. It has been extirpated from some regions because of hunting, but overall it appears to be able to withstand hunting pressure and in general it remains common and widespread.