7 new mammal species found in Luzon

A group of American and Filipino biologists discovered seven previously unknown mammal species in Luzon, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) said Wednesday.

All of the seven species are forest mice belonging to the genus Apomys and live only in a small part of Luzon.

The discovery increased the number of native mammals – excluding bats – in the country’s largest island from 42 to 49, or up 17 percent.

“Filipinos should be aware of such discoveries, to show a collective pride and give a more positive meaning to the expression, ‘only in the Philippines,’” Environment Secretary Ramon Paje said.

The formal descriptions of the seven species were published in the May 2011 issue of Fieldiana, the peer-reviewed journal of the Field Museum of Natural History (FMNH) in Chicago.

The nine co-authors of the article include biologists from the University of the Philippines, the Philippine National Museum, Conservation International (CI) - Philippines, Utah Museum of Natural History, and Florida State University.

FMNH’s Dr. Lawrence Heaney, project leader and the lead author of the Fieldiana, described the species as “wonderful little mice and they actively avoid humans and rarely cause any harm.”

Two of the species live in, or are endemic to, Mount Tapulao in Zambales; two in Mount Banahaw; another two in the Mingan Mountains of Aurora Province; and the remaining specie in the Sierra Madre mountain range of northeastern Luzon.

Sunnex