Dusky-footed Woodrat

Neotoma fuscipes

The Neotoma genus are called packrats because they hoard things, like shiny objects. Woodrats are also called “Trade rats” because when they find a new “treasure,” like a shiny object from humans, they will leave whatever they had before and pick up the new item.

Dusky-footed woodrats are well known for their large terrestrial stick houses, some of which can last for 20 or more years after being abandoned. Houses typically are placed on the ground against or straddling a log or exposed roots of a standing tree and are often located in dense brush. Nests also are placed in the crotches and cavities of trees and in hollow logs.

Family:

Cricetidae (New World rats and mice, voles, hamsters, and relatives)

Description:

The dusky-footed woodrats are rat-like in appearance. Every dusky-footed woodrat has vibrissae (whiskers) that are disposed in six parallel, evenly spaced rows. The ears are thin, large, rounded, and broad as well as hairy. The claws are short, sharp, curved sharply downward and almost equal in length. The claws are also colorless. There is some sexual dimorphism in this species. Females are about 15 inches in length (including the 5 ½ inch tail). Males are about 17 inches (including an 8 inch tail). Males usually also weigh more than females.

Habitat:

Woodrats prefer dense chaparral and are found near streams. They are also found in juniper and mixed coniferous forests; they prefer dense ground cover.

Range:

The range of the dusky-footed woodrat is restricted to the Pacific coastal area of the United States and Lower California. The range specifically extends from the Columbia River in Washington southward through the Sierra San Pedro Martir of northern Lower California. Toward the east, the dusky-footed woodrat's range reaches the Cascade-Sierra Nevada Mountain system and the Mojave and Colorado deserts.

Diet:

The dusky-footed woodrat feeds on a wide range of plants.

Breeding:

The reproductive period of this species usually begins in late September and continues until mid-June or mid-July. This coincides with the onset of the rainy season and the growth of plants. The inactive reproductive period arrives in the dry season when much of the vegetation is not growing. The months of April and May are when most females are reproductively active. During the breeding season, males move about changing nests in search of sexually receptive females. Males pair with the most accessible female, which is usually the one closest to their nests. The fewer females present in an area, the more a male will move.

Comments:

The genus name Neotoma literally means “packrat.”

mtm 2-6-2021ok