Table Of ContentTHE MAMMALS OF LUZON ISLAND
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THE 
MAMMALS 
OF LUZON 
ISLAND
Biogeography 
and Natural History of a 
Philippine Fauna
Lawrence R. Heaney, 
Danilo S. Balete, and Eric A. Rickart
Illustrated by Velizar Simeonovski 
and Andria Niedzielski
JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY PRESS  BALTIMORE
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Library of Congress Cataloging- in-Publication Data
Heaney, Lawrence R.
  The mammals of Luzon Island : biogeography and natural history 
of a Philippine fauna / Lawrence R. Heaney, Danilo S. Balete, Eric A. 
Rickart ; illustrated by Velizar Simeonovski and Andria Niedzielski.
    pages cm
  Includes bibliographical references and index.
  ISBN 978-1-4214-1837-7 (hardcover : alk. paper) — ISBN 
978-1-4214-1838-4 (electronic) — ISBN 1-4214-1837-1 (hardcover : 
alk. paper) — ISBN 1-4214-1838-X (electronic) 1. Mammals—Philip-
pines—Luzon. I. Balete, Danilo S., 1960– II. Rickart, Eric A. III. Title.
  QL729.P5H434 2016
  599.09599'1—dc23      2015008660
A catalog record for this book is available from the British Library.
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Contents
Preface  vii 3: Old Endemics: Earthworm Mice  135
Acknowledgments  ix
4: New Endemic Rodents  166
Part I. The Biogeography of Diversity 5: Non-Native Rodents  173
Chapter 1. The Mammals of Luzon, 1895– 2012  3 Chapter 11. A Guide to the Bats  182
Chapter 2. Climate and Habitats  15 1: Introduction to Bats  183
Chapter 3. Discovering Diversity: Topography and  2: Family Pteropodidae: Fruit Bats and Flying 
Elevational Diversity Patterns  26 Foxes  186
Chapter 4. Geological History and Fossil  3: Family Emballonuridae: Sheath-Tailed Bats  208
Mammals  40 4: Family Megadermatidae: Ghost Bats and False 
Chapter 5. Producing Diversity: Speciation and  Vampire Bats  213
Diversifi cation  57 5: Family Hipposideridae: Roundleaf Bats  214
Chapter 6. Habitat Disturbance and Invasive  6: Family Rhinolophidae: Horseshoe Bats  224
Species  71
7: Family Vespertilionidae: Evening Bats  234
Chapter 7. Conservation of Luzon’s Mammalian 
8: Family Molossidae: Free-Tailed Bats  258
Diversity  82
Chapter 8. Synthesis: Island Biogeography Theory  Glossary  263
and the Mammals of Luzon  94 Literature Cited  269
Index  285
Part II. Natural History of Luzon Mammals
Chapter 9. Large Mammals  109
Chapter 10. A Guide to the Small Mammals  117
1: Order Soricomorpha: Shrews and Their 
Relatives  118
2: Old Endemics: Cloud Rats  121
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Preface
Tropical islands have held great attraction for biologists  We also are strongly motivated to share what we 
for centuries. The reason seems to lie both in the often  have learned—to share the excitement of exploration 
exceptionally great concentration of unique biodiver- and discovery, and to share the new knowledge gained. 
sity on such islands and in the implicit questions that  Formal teaching in a classroom or speaking to a crowd 
arise from that unique diversity: what species are pres- in an auditorium are fi ne ways to impart much of the 
ent on the island, how and when did they arrive, why  excitement and knowledge, but writing can be the best 
are there so many highly distinctive species, and how  way to share the information as widely as possible, and 
has the unique geological history of the islands infl u- most biologists love to write. Further, we feel a strong 
enced the biota that is present? compulsion to help protect the wonderful animals we 
Biologists are an inherently curious lot; the bigger  have studied and the places where we have studied 
and more complex the questions, the happier we seem  them. We fi rmly believe that protecting these animals 
to be. That curiosity is what drew the authors of this  and places will work to the good of people everywhere, 
volume to studies of the highly diverse mammals of  both those who are so fortunate as to have them in 
the Philippines. The best available evidence at hand  their backyard, and those who dream, as we once did, 
indicates that Luzon has the greatest concentration of  of green forests on steep mountains where the un-
unique species of mammals of any place in the world.  known awaits.
We found the attraction of trying to understand why  This book is intended to answer to all of these parts 
that is the case to be wonderfully compelling. of being a biologist. It is designed to be useful as a fi eld 
Biologists are also explorers, attracted to the un- guide, a classroom textbook, and a source of informa-
known and to a sense of discovery. In our case, orga- tion for anyone who needs or simply wishes to know 
nizing teams of fi eld researchers and porters from local  more about mammalian diversity on Luzon. It is not a 
communities to trek into rugged mountains in isolated  comprehensive compilation of all of what is known re-
parts of the country has an undeniable romantic ap- garding every aspect of each species, or the sum total of 
peal, and we confess that it was a large part of the at- the data that we have gathered. Rather, it is a summary 
traction for us. And from the fi rst time any of the three  of what we know at this time about the evolutionary or-
of us captured species that no biologist had seen before,  igin and ecological maintenance of mammalian diver-
the surge of adrenalin was powerful. sity on Luzon, from a biogeographical perspective. For 
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VIII  PREFACE
some additional details, we refer the reader to the on- not include information about the wonderful marine 
line version of the Synopsis of Philippine Mammals,  mammal fauna of the Philippines; aside from the Syn-
available at www. fi eldmuseum .org/ synopsis- philippine opsis, we recommend Alava et al. (1993), Dolar et al. 
-m  ammals/.  We offer our regrets that this volume does  (2006), and Tan (1995) as sources.
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Acknowledgments
This book is the result of 15 years of focused effort to  phonso, Pedro Alviola, Mike Carleton, Pedro Gonzales, 
document the extraordinary mammal fauna of Luzon,  Karl Hutterer, Karl Koopman, Guy Musser, and Rich-
but it is also the product of far longer periods for all  ard W. Thorington Jr. Silliman University provided our 
of us. Heaney benefi ted greatly from early encourage- base of operations in the Philippines during much of 
ment, and opportunities to study mammals and their  this period and made us so welcome that it came to feel 
patterns of distribution and diversity, provided by Tom  like home.
McIntyre, Richard Thorington Jr., Hank Setzer, Charles  The 12 years of fi eld work on which this book is pri-
Handley, and Jim Mead at the US National Museum of  marily based would not have been possible without the 
Natural History; their generosity with time and knowl- strong support of the Philippine Department of Envi-
edge set him securely on the road to fi eld-o  riented  ronment and Natural Resources (DENR), especially the 
studies of mammalian diversity, including an appre- Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau (recently renamed 
ciation for the mammals of Southeast Asia. Rickart’s  the Biodiversity Management Bureau). We offer our 
initial interest in mammals stems from his early asso- most sincere thanks to all of the current and former 
ciation with Charles Remington and his son Eric, who  staff, especially to Angel C. Alcala, T. Mundita Lim, Cora 
revealed the joys of fi eld exploration, the value of close  Catibog-S inha, Luz Gonzales, Samuel P  eñafi el, Wil-
observation, and the powerful attraction of natural his- fredo Pollisco, Josie DeLeon, Carlo Custodio, Marlynn 
tory and science as lifelong pursuits. Heaney and Rick- Mendoza, and Anson Tagtag. A great many other staff 
art both studied under Robert Hoffmann, whose gentle  members of the DENR in Regions 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and the 
demeanor, love for learning, and deep interest in bio- Cordillera Autonomous Region gave us their help and 
geography and mammals has provided a lifetime of in- support; they are far too numerous to name, but to all 
spiration. Balete was inspired by many teachers and col- of them we offer our gratitude. We thank the staff of the 
leagues, especially Lipke Holthuis and Boris Sket, and  National Commission for Indigenous People (NCIP) for 
benefi ted immeasurably from the generosity of Anton  their support in obtaining the necessary permission for 
Cornelius Jacobus Burgers. our studies.
Our early studies of biogeography and mammals in  We have also benefi ted from a long, close, and 
the Philippines, beginning in the 1980s, were encour- highly productive association with the National Mu-
aged, supported, and inspired by a great many people:  seum of the Philippines, especially Jeremy Barns, Anna 
foremost among them were Angel C. Alcala, Pablo Al- Labrador, Angel Bautista, Julie Barcelona, Arvin Dies-
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