Dinagat bushy-tailed cloud rat

Description

The Dinagat bushy-tailed cloud rat,Dinagat crateromys or Dinagat cloud rat (Crateromys australis) is a species of cloud rat in the family Muridae.It is one of the eight cloud rats found only in the Philippines,and is specifically endemic to Dinagat Island.It is known locally as hawili.A single specimen was discovered in 1975 by Dioscoro S.Rabor and his team during a scientific survey in Dinagat.The natural habitat is tropical lowland forests,which is facing environmental threats.Habitat loss is caused by progressive deforestation from heavy logging and chromite mining in the area.Almost 40 years after the original discovery,five live specimens were discovered by Milada Řeháková,Václav Řehák and William L.R.Oliver,in 2012.