Head to head
Bushy-tailed Woodrat vs Brown Rat
Bushy-tailed Woodrat
VS Brown Rat
The bushy-tailed woodrat and brown rat both have rat in their names, but they live very different lives: one is a rock-dwelling packrat of western North America and the other a worldwide companion of people.
| Bushy-tailed Woodrat | Brown Rat | |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific name | Neotoma cinerea | Rattus norvegicus |
| Range | Rocky habitat across western Canada and the western United States | Originally northern China and Mongolia, now every continent except Antarctica |
| Tail | Bushy and squirrel-like, unlike most woodrats | Scaly and nearly as long as its body |
| Habitat | Cliffs, talus, caves, and old buildings | Cities, farms, ports, sewers, and ships, almost always alongside people |
| Diet | Herbivore, eating leaves, twigs, flowers, fungi, and conifer needles | Omnivore, eating grain, fruit, meat, eggs, insects, and refuse |
| Signature habit | Gathers sticks, bones, dung, and other items into a bulky nest, earning the name packrat | Gnaws constantly to wear down growing incisors, which can bite through soft concrete and lead |
| Winter | Stays active through the winter, living on plants piled up in rock crevices | Not specifically documented |
| Conservation status | Least Concern, with a stable population | Least Concern, with an increasing population |
Bushy-tailed Woodrat vs Brown Rat: common questions
Why is the bushy-tailed woodrat 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.
Where do the bushy-tailed woodrat and brown rat live?
The bushy-tailed woodrat lives in rocky habitat across western Canada and the western United States, while the brown rat lives on every continent except Antarctica, almost always alongside people.