Gymnures, also called hairy hedgehogs or moonrats, are mammals belonging to the subfamily Galericinae, in the family Erinaceidae and the order Eulipotyphla. Gymnures resemble rats but are not closely related as they are not rodents; they are instead closely related to hedgehogs, which also belong to Erinaceidae. They are thought to have appeared in Eastern Asia before their closest relatives, and changed little from the original ancestor, which is thought to have been also the ancestor of the shrews.
The dwarf gymnure is a gymnure found only at Mount Kerinci, Sumatra, Indonesia. It is listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as a critically endangered species due to a restricted range.
The cloud rats or cloudrunners are a tribe (Phloeomyini) of arboreal and nocturnal herbivorous rodents endemic to the cloud forests of the Philippines. They belong to the family Muridae and include five genera: Batomys, Carpomys, Crateromys, Musseromys, and Phloeomys. They range in size from as large as 50 cm (20 in) to as small as 74 mm (2.9 in). Cloud rats are threatened by habitat loss and illegal hunting. Several species are endangered or critically endangered.
The Dinagat bushy-tailed cloud rat, Dinagat crateromys or Dinagat cloud rat 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.
Platymantis guentheri is a species of frog in the family Ceratobatrachidae. It is endemic to the Philippines, where it occurs in the rainforests of Leyte, Biliran, Maripipi, Bohol, Panglao, Dinagat, and Mindanao islands. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest, subtropical or tropical moist montane forest, plantations, rural gardens, and heavily degraded former forest. It is threatened by habitat loss.
The giant scops owl, lesser eagle-owl or the Mindanao eagle-owl, is a species of owl in the family Strigidae. It is endemic to the Philippines. In size and structure, it is considered intermediate between a scops owl and an eagle-owl. Its natural habitat is tropical moist lowland forests. It is threatened by habitat loss.
The wattled broadbill or Mindanao broadbill is a species of bird in the family Eurylaimidae where it was previously conspecific to the Visayan broadbill. It It is endemic to the islands of Mindanao, Basilan, Dinagat and Siargao in the Philippines. It is one of the most striking birds in the country with its sky-blue wattle and bill and yellow wing patch Its natural habitats are tropical moist lowland forest, tropical mangrove forest, and tropical moist shrubland. It is threatened by habitat loss.
The celestial monarch is a species of bird in the family Monarchidae, and one of the most attractive of all the monarch flycatchers, with its spectacular blue crest and large greenish-yellow wattle. It is endemic to the Philippines with its extant range being in Luzon, Samar, Mindanao Tawi-Tawi and Basilan and it being possibly extinct on Negros and Sibuyan Island. It is often observed in mixed flocks with other birds such as blue fantails, rusty-crowned babblers, rufous paradise flycatchers, both short-crested monarchs and black-naped monarchs and other small forest birds. Its natural habitat is tropical moist lowland forests up to 750 masl. It is one of the most sought after birds by birdwatchers in the Philippines and in the world.
The short-crested monarch is a species of bird in the family Monarchidae. It is endemic to the Philippines. It is found in tropical moist lowland forest. It is threatened by habitat loss.
The Hainan gymnure or Hainan moonrat is a species of mammal in the family Erinaceidae. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry forests. It was thought to be endemic to the island of Hainan, China where it is threatened due to habitat loss, but in 2018 was found to also occur in, and be rather common, within Northern Vietnam.
The shrew gymnure, or shrew hedgehog, is a species of mammal in the family Erinaceidae and is the only extant species in the genus Neotetracus. It is found in China, Myanmar, and Vietnam.
Podogymnura is a genus of mammal in the family Erinaceidae. It contains the following species:
Podogymnura truei, also known as the Mindanao gymnure, Mindanao moonrat, or Mindanao wood shrew, is a mammal of the family Erinaceidae. It is endemic to the Mindanao islands of the Philippines. Erinaceidae is a family of small mammals that include the gymnures, also known as the silky furred moonrats, and the hedgehogs. Animals belonging to this family are significant because they are among the oldest known placental mammals that are alive. Gymnures are relatives of hedgehogs but lack the prickly spines. Two species are categorized in the genus Podogymnura: P. aureospinula and P. truei. Both species share a close resemblance to the moonrat Echinosorex gymnura, which is commonly found on the Borneo, Sumatra, and the Malay Peninsulas.
The Hamiguitan hairy-tailed rat is one of five species of rodent in the genus Batomys. It is in the diverse family Muridae. This species is found only in the Philippines. is a yellow-brown animal with a long furry tail, weighs about 175 grams, and is related to several other species known in Central Mindanao, Dinagat Island and Luzon. It lives only in an area that's at least 950 meters high, and in dwarf mossy forests less than 10 square kilometers.
Pulchrana grandocula, also known as the big-eyed frog, is a species of "true frog", family Ranidae. It is endemic to the southern Philippines and occurs on the islands of Basilan, Bohol, Camiguin Sur, Dinagat, Samar, Siargao, Bucas Grande, and Mindanao. Some populations from Mindanao formerly assigned to this species are now recognized as a separate species, Pulchrana guttmani.
The long-eared gymnure is a eulipotyphlan that is found in Laos. This specific type of gymnure has long ears and a long skull compared to that of others. It is also recognized for its broad forefeet, stout claws, and naked hindfeet.
Lawrence Richard Heaney is an American mammalogist, ecologist and biogeographer. His research focus is the mammals of the Philippines.
