Hamiguitan hairy-tailed rat

The Hamiguitan hairy-tailed rat (Batomys hamiguitan) is a rodent of the family Muridae, one of five species in the genus Batomys, and is found only in the Philippines. It is a yellow-brown animal with a long furry tail and weighs about 175 grams. It lives only at elevations of at least 950 metres, in dwarf mossy forest covering less than 10 square kilometres on Mount Hamiguitan in southeastern Mindanao. It was the last member of its genus to be discovered, in May 2006, and was the first mammal described from Eastern Mindanao and the first thought to live only in that area. Its relatives are known from Central Mindanao, Dinagat Island and Luzon. The species supports the hypothesis that the island of Mindanao has several centres of endemism, of which the southeastern highland around Mount Hamiguitan is one.