185.

Bushy-tailed Woodrat

Neotoma cinerea

French: Néotoma a queue touffue / German: Buschschwanzratte / Spanish: Rata de bosque de cola peluda

Other common names: Packrat

Taxonomy. Mus cinereus Ord, 1815, near Great Falls, Casade County, Montana, USA.

Neotoma cinerea is in subgenus Teonoma. Thirteen subspecies recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution.

N.c.cinereaOrd,1815—extremeSEBritishColumbia,SAlberta,andextremeSWSaskatchewan(SWCanada)StoCIdahoandWWyoming,andWtoextremeWCNorthDakota(NWUSA).

N.c.acraeaElliot,1904—CCaliforniaEtoextremeSWIdaho,CUtah,andNWArizona(WUSA).

N.c.alticolaHooper,1940—extremeSEWashingtonStoNWCaliforniaandNNevadaandEtoSWIdaho(WUSA).

N.c.arizonaeMerriam,1893—SWUtah,EColorado,NArizona,andNWNewMexico(SWUSA).

N.c.cinnamomea].A.Allen,1895—SWWyomingandNWedgeofColorado(WCUSA).

N.c.drummondiiJ.Richardson,1828—SWYukon,extremeSWNorthwestTerritories,EBritishColumbia,andWAlberta(WCanada).

N.c.fuscaTrue,1894—WOregon(NWUSA).

N.c.lucidaGoldman,1917—SENevadaandadjacentSWCalifornia(SWUSA).

N.c.macrodonKelson,1949—knownonlyfromthetypelocalityinNEUtah(WCUSA).

N.c.occidentalisBaird,1855—SYukonamdextremeWNorthwestTerritories(WCanada)StoSWOregon,NIdaho,andNWMontana(NWUSA).

N.c.orolestesMerriam,1894—SWMontanaStoNNewMexico(WCUSA).

N.c.pullaHooper,1940—SWOregonandNCalifornia(WUSA).

N. c. rupicola]. A. Allen, 1894 — SW North Dakota S to NE Colorado (C USA).

Descriptive notes. Head—body 173-247 mm, tail 120-223 mm, ear 28-35 mm, hindfoot 30-52 mm; weight 234-600 g. The Bushy-tailed Woodrat is large, with bushy, almost squirrel-like, tail. It is much larger than Stephens’s Woodrat (N. stephensi)— the only other woodrat species with bushy or hairy tail. Sole of hindfoot is heavily furred from heel to posterior tubercle. Vibrissae are exceptionally long, reaching lengths of 100 mm. The Bushy-tailed Woodrat has large geographical variation, with individuals in the northern distribution being much large than those in the southern distribution.

Habitat. Rocky outcroppings and ledges, creeks, and canyon walls in western USA.

Food and Feeding. The Bushy-tailed Woodrat is primarily folivorous, but also feeds on bark and fruit. Numerous plant species found in middens in Colorado (USA) are associated with this species’ diet.

Breeding. Bushy-tailed Woodrats usually have 1-2 litters/year, with 3-5 young/litter. Births generally occur in May—August.

Activity patterns. No information.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. The Bushy-tailed Woodrat is not as territorial as other woodrat species. Some evidence suggests that it lives in loosely associated groups, perhaps due to shortages of den sites. Home ranges are larger than those of other woodrats, exceeding radii of more than 200 m, in some cases.It rarely constructs a free-standing midden; instead, sticks, leaves, and other plant material are wedged into openings or crevices.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red Lust.

Bibliography. Allen (1894, 1895b), Baird (1855b), Elliot (1904a), Finley (1958), Goldman (1917), Hall (1981), Hooper (1940), Kelson (1949), Merriam (1893, 1894b), Ord (1815), Richardson (1828), Smith (1997), True (1894b).