Rhynchomys
| Shrewlike rats Temporal range: Recent |
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| Rhynchomys soricoides (lower animal) | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Family: | Muridae |
| Subfamily: | Murinae |
| Genus: |
Rhynchomys Thomas, 1895 |
| Species | |
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Rhynchomys banahao |
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| Distribution of shrewlike rats on Luzon Island. Orange = R. soricoides, red = R. tapulao, blue = R. banahao, and green = R. isarogensis. | |
Rhynchomys banahao
Rhynchomys isarogensis
Rhynchomys soricoides
Rhynchomys tapulao
The shrewlike rats, genus Rhynchomys, also known as the tweezer-beaked rats are a group of unusual Old World rats found only on the island of Luzon in the Philippines. They look a great deal like shrews and are an example of convergent evolution. Shrewlike rats evolved to be vermivores (worm-eaters) and insectivores feeding on soft-bodied invertebrates associated with leaf litter.
The snout and rostrum are very long. Eyes are small. Head and body is 18.8–21.5 cm with a tail 10.5–14.6 cm (Nowak, 1999). Only two molars are present; these are small and peg-like. Incisors are described as needle-like and mandibles as delicate (Nowak, 1999; Balete et al., 2007).
Shrewlike rats are found at elevations of 1,100 to 2,460 meters (Nowak, 1999; Balete et al., 2007). They are restricted to moist, mossy highland regions with ample rainfall and large populations of earthworms. Populations appear to be very isolated, restricted to "sky islands" of Luzon. Specimens have been collected from Mount Bali-it and Mount Data of the Central Cordillera (R. soricoides), Mount Tapulao of the Zambales Mountains (R. tapulao), Mount Banahao (R. banahao), and Mount Isarog (R. isarogensis; Balete et al., 2007).
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