Ilin Island Cloudrunner
Extinct circa 1953 CE • Philippines Sea
"Judging by the one preserved individual of the Ilin Island Cloudrunner, housed at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C., the species is the smallest of the six known cloud rat species, all of which live in the Philippines. Cloud rats have bushy tails and fluffy coats, features that distinguish them from most rat species Because the Ilin Island Cloudrunner has never been observed by scientists in the wild, the species’ habitat and ecology remain mysterious . . ."
Molly Bergen, "The Search for the Ilin Island Cloudrunner, Lost to Science for 66 Years," Rewild, August 17, 2020.
Image: Blumentritt, Ferdinand. Ethnographic Map of the Philippines. Digital image. 1890. Web.
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