Southern giant slender-tailed cloud rat
| Southern Giant Slender-tailed Cloud Rat | |
|---|---|
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Family: | Muridae |
| Genus: | Phloeomys |
| Species: | P. cumingi |
| Binomial name | |
| Phloeomys cumingi (Waterhouse, 1839) | |
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The Southern Giant Slender-tailed Cloud Rat or Southern Luzon Giant Cloud Rat (Phloeomys cumingi) is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is found only in the Philippines.The length of the head and body ranges from 44 to 48 cm. Tail lengths have been reported from 32 to 35 cm. The weight range is between 1.45 and 2.1 kg.
Equally at home high amongst the branches of a tree as on the forest floor, the southern giant slender-tailed cloud rat is a slow-moving animal, that is only active at night, spending the day in hollow trees or logs. It usually lives singly, or in pairs consisting of an adult male and female, or a female and her young, but larger groups have also been seen. Their diet consists primarily of tender, young leaves, but fruit is also reportedly eaten. The southern giant slender-tailed cloud rat typically gives birth to a single pup each year, with data indicating that most births take place during the late rainy season. The young are born in the hollow of a standing or fallen tree, or in a hole in the ground. The mother carries her young firmly attached to a nipple. In captivity, one cloud rat lived for over 13 years.[1]
References
- Heaney, L. 1996. Phloeomys cumingi. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 19 July 2007.
- Musser, G.G.; Carleton, M.D. (2005). "Superfamily Muroidea". In Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M. Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 894–1531. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.
External links
- Field Museum of Natural History (2010). Phloeomys cumingi. Synopsis of Philippine Mammals. Accessed 17 August 2013
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