Southern giant slender-tailed cloud rat

{{Short description|Species of rodent}}

{{speciesbox

| image = Krysa filipínská (Phloeomys cumingi) 22.12.2010 b.jpg

| status = LC| status_system = IUCN3.1

|status_ref = {{cite iucn |author=Kennerley, R. |date=2019 |title=Phloeomys cumingi |volume=2019 |page=e.T17003A22454185 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-1.RLTS.T17003A22454185.en |access-date=14 November 2021}}

| genus = Phloeomys

| species = cumingi

| authority = (Waterhouse, 1839)

| range_map = Phloeomys cumingi distribution.png

| synonyms = Capromys elegans Cabrera, 1901

}}

The southern giant slender-tailed cloud rat or southern Luzon giant cloud rat (Phloeomys cumingi), also known as bugkon in Filipino, is a vulnerable species of rodent in the family Muridae, found only in southern Luzon in the Philippines. It is dark brown, occasionally with some reddish, but lacking the light-coloured sections usually seen in its close relative, the northern Luzon giant cloud rat (P. pallidus). The southern giant slender-tailed cloud rat is a large rodent that has a total length of about {{cvt|67-75|cm|in}} and weighs {{cvt|1.45-2.1|kg|lb}}.{{Cite web| url=http://archive.fieldmuseum.org/philippine_mammals/species/SP_163.asp| title=Phloeomys cumingi| year=2010| publisher=Field Museum of Natural History, Synopsis of Philippine Mammals|access-date=4 January 2020}}

Equally at home high amongst the branches of a tree as on the forest floor, the southern giant slender-tailed cloud rat is a slow-moving animal only active at night, spending the day in hollow trees or logs. It usually lives singly, or in pairs consisting of an adult male and female, or a female and her young, but larger groups have also been seen. Their diet consists primarily of tender, young leaves, but fruit is also reportedly eaten. The southern giant slender-tailed cloud rat typically gives birth to a single pup each year, with data indicating that most births take place during the late rainy season. The young are born in the hollow of a standing or fallen tree, or in a hole in the ground. The mother carries her young firmly attached to a nipple. In captivity, one cloud rat lived for over 13 years.{{Cite web | url=http://eol.org/pages/1179311/details | title=Encyclopedia of Life}}