Small non-volant mammals in forest patches of Baguio City, Luzon, Philippines

Surveys that seek to know the existing diversity in the Philippines have also come up with general patterns of species richness among native and non-native species of small non-flying mammals as affected by habitat disturbance. It was found that while many species tend to be restricted to intact forests, several species generally have varying degree of tolerance to disturbance. Standard mammalian survey method was employed in two selected areas in Baguio City, Luzon Island, Philippines to identify if previous observed tendencies of the mammals exist in this area. Six species were captured, including 5 murid rodents (Apomys musculus, Bullimus luzonicus, Rattus everetti, R. exulans and R. tanezumi) and one shrew (Suncus murinus). Among these, three are natives, namely: A. musculus, B. luzonicus and R. everetti, which were documented only in the less disturbed site. Results support the finding of other studies that the existence of native species is indeed affected by the degree of disturbance in particular habitats, with salient variation of tolerance among different species.