Somewhere on a single island an “ancient cloud rat” says hello!
The Dinagat hairy-tailed rat or 𝘉𝘢𝘵𝘰𝘮𝘺𝘴 𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘴𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘴 is one of 18 “cloud rats” found only in the Philippines, and this species can only be found on Dinagat Island.
We like to call it the “ancient temple” of Dinagat, because in its “temple” or head might be an ancient arrangement of blood vessels unique to mouse species that were around a long time ago. Scientists like G Musser et al in 1998 called it a "primative cephalic arterial pattern”.
This tells us that unlike many living mouse species, the Dinagat hairy-tailed rat could be a “living fossil”- and can give us a window to the ancient past of many mice and rats today.
Unfortunately mining occurs on Dinagat Island, threatening other island endemics including another cloud rat: the Dinagat Bushy-tailed cloud rat (𝘊𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘺𝘴 𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘴).
Milada Řeháková-Petrů et al wrote in 2015 that the balance between “socio-economic development and longer-term biodiversity conservation” needs to be improved, and that “mineral resources of Dinagat are available elsewhere, but its biodiversity is unique!”
The script shown here is Badlit or Suwat Binisaya.
References and more: https://philippinewildlife.art/portfolio/dinagat-hairy-tailed-rat/
