Yahoo News 15 Jun 11;
MANILA (AFP) – Seven new species of mice have been found by local and US scientists in the mountains of the Philippines, the government's environment department said Wednesday.
The discovery, documented by the respected Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago in its May 2011 journal, showcases the country's vast, but threatened biodiversity, the department said in a statement.
The mice were found in heavily-forested mountain ranges on the main Philippine island of Luzon.
Lawrence Heaney, lead author of the 2011 journal, was quoted as saying they were "wonderful little mice that... actively avoid humans and rarely cause any harm.
"They prefer to eat earthworms and seeds on the forest floor."
The date of the expedition was not disclosed. Scientists from Philippine and US universities and museums took part, the department said.
The department warned the habitats of many of the new species were not protected areas, making them vulnerable to logging and illegal mining.
Environment Secretary Ramon Paje said the new discoveries were further proof that the Philippines, an archipelago of more than 7,000 islands, had some of the greatest diversity in animal and plant species in the world.
The Philippines also had the greatest rates of discoveries of new species, he said in the statement.
Earlier this month, a joint Philippine-American scientific expedition announced that in its exploration in May it had found possibly scores of new species.
They included a new variety of shark, new species of eels, insects, sea slugs and sea urchins although further study is needed to confirm if they are really new to science.
7 new mammal species found on Luzon
Tarra Quismundo Philippine Daily Inquirer 15 Jun 11;
MANILA, Philippines—Filipino and American scientists have discovered seven new species of mammals in four locations on the island of Luzon, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources announced Wednesday.
All forest mice, the newly recognized species were discovered in four mountains in Luzon: Mt Tapulao in Zambales, Mt. Banahaw in Quezon, Mingan Mountains in Aurora and the Sierra Madre Mountain range in northeastern Luzon.
An account of the discovery, authored by nine biologists from the University of the Philippines, the Philippine National Museum, Conservation International-Philippines, the Utah Museum of Natural History and the Florida State University, was first published in last month’s issue of the Fieldiana, the journal of Chicago’s Field Museum of Natural History.
“The international community has recognized that our country has among the highest rates of discovery in the world. 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,’” said Environment Secretary Ramon Paje in a statement.
Describing the species in the Fieldiana, project leader Lawrence Heaney said the mammals were “wonderful little mice that live in forested regions high in the mountain… often abundant, [yet] they actively avoid humans and rarely cause any harm. They prefer to eat earthworms and seeds on the forest floor.”
