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Chrotomys Silaceus
The genus ''Chrotomys'' contain a unique group of rodents found only in the Philippines, specifically the islands of Luzon, Mindoro, and Sibuyan. Instead of being predominantly herbivore, herbivorous or omnivore, omnivorous like other murines, these rats feed predominantly on invertebrates although they do eat some vegetable matter. This vermivory is probably the result of a rat-like animal moving into an ecological niche usually filled by shrews. Shrews and other insectivores are absent on these Philippine islands. Taxonomy Rickart et al. (2005) found that ''C. mindorensis'', ''C. whiteheadi'', and ''C. gonzalesi'' are closely related whereas ''C. silaceus'' and ''C. sibuyanensis'' represent earlier offshoots of the genus. Several authors place ''C. silaceus'' in the genus ''Celaenomys'', but Rickart et al. (2005) suggest that neither genetics, genetic nor morphometric distance warrant it. These rats are considered "old endemics" and are probably the result of one of the fi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Luzon Striped Rat
The Luzon striped rat (''Chrotomys whiteheadi'') is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is found only in the Philippines. Taxonomy Both the genus and species ''Chrotomys whiteheadi'' were first named by Oldfield Thomas in 1895, and formally described in 1898, based on a specimen collected by John Whitehead, after whom the species was named. The type locality was Mount Data. Description Size of ''Mus rattus''. Fur soft and thick, but not specially long. General colour greyish brown, tending in some specimens to rufous; a well-defined buff or orange line extending from between the eyes down the back nearly to the tail, shown up on each side by a broad shining black band. Under surface dull slaty buff, not sharply defined on the sides. Top of muzzle dark brown, continuous with the dark edgings to the central yellow band. Ears of medium length, fairly covered with minute hairs, uniformly blackish brown. Metapodials shining grey, digits nearly naked, whitish. Tail shor ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |