Mammals
Bushy-tailed Woodrat
Neotoma cinerea · also called packrat, pack rat
Deep in a rock crevice in the mountains, a bushy-tailed woodrat adds another stick to a heap that already holds bones, droppings, and bits of everything else it has found, a nest that may outlast the animal by thousands of years.
Overview
The bushy-tailed woodrat, Neotoma cinerea, is a Least Concern rodent of rocky habitat across western North America. Its squirrel-like tail, hoarding habits, and long-lasting nests make it one of the most useful small mammals for studying how landscapes and climates have changed.
A hoarder that records history
Woodrat nests are accidental archives, preserving plant remains from the surrounding landscape long after the builders are gone.
Status
Least Concern, widespread across rocky habitat in western North America.
Bushy-tailed Woodrat: common questions
Why is it called a packrat?
It gathers sticks, bones, dung, and other items into a bulky nest, a habit that earned the species the name packrat.
How do woodrat nests help scientists?
Old nests, hardened with urine, can last for thousands of years and let scientists reconstruct past plant communities and climate.
Does the bushy-tailed woodrat hibernate?
No, it stays active through the winter, living on stored plants piled up in rock crevices.
Where is the bushy-tailed woodrat found?
It lives in rocky habitat from northern Canada south through the western United States.