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A pack rat, also called a trade rat or wood rat, can be any of several species in the genus Neotoma, but most commonly the Bushy-tailed Woodrat (Neotoma cinerea). Pack rats are prevalent in the deserts and highlands of western United States and northern Mexico. They also occur in parts of the eastern United States. Pack rats are a little smaller than a typical rat and have long, sometimes bushy tails.
Pack rats build complex nests of twigs, called "middens", often incorporating cactus. Nests are often built in small caves, but frequently also in the attics and walls of houses. Some Neotoma species, such as the White-throated Woodrat (N. albigula), use the base of a prickly pear or cholla cactus as the site for their home, utilizing the cactus' spines for protection from predators. Others, like the Desert Woodrat (N. lepida) will appropriate the burrows of ground squirrels or kangaroo rats and fortify the entrance with sticks and bits of spiny cactus stems fallen from Jumping and Teddy-bear Chollas.
In houses, pack rats are active nocturnally, searching for food and nest material. A peculiar characteristic is that if they find something they want, they will drop what they are currently carrying, for example a piece of cactus, and "trade" it for the new item. They are particularly fond of shiny objects, leading to tales of rats swapping jewelry for a stone.
Historically, houses in or near ghost towns such as Crestone, Colorado were typically infested with pack rats. In the days before television, this provided a measure of entertainment to the sensation-starved residents.
Some species of pack rats were called "prairie flounders" by settlers. This might have occurred because the eyes of pack rats are set somewhat higher in the head than other rodents.
The term pack rat is also used in English as slang to refer to a person who collects miscellaneous items and has trouble getting rid of them.
Species
- Neotoma
- Subgenus (Neotoma)
- Neotoma albigula - White-throated Woodrat
- Neotoma angustapalata - Tamaulipan Woodrat
- Neotoma anthonyi - Anthony's Woodrat
- Neotoma bryanti - Bryant's Woodrat
- Neotoma bunkeri - Bunker's Woodrat
- Neotoma chrysomelas - Nicaraguan Woodrat
- Neotoma devia - Arizona Woodrat
- Neotoma floridana - Florida Woodrat (Eastern Woodrat)
- Neotoma goldmani - Goldman's Woodrat
- Neotoma lepida - Desert Woodrat
- Neotoma magister - Allegheny Woodrat
- Neotoma martinensis - San Martin Island Woodrat
- Neotoma mexicana - Mexican Woodrat
- Neotoma micropus - Southern Plains Woodrat
- Neotoma nelsoni - Nelson's Woodrat
- Neotoma palatina - Bolaos Woodrat
- Neotoma stephensi - Stephens's Woodrat
- Neotoma varia - Turner Island Woodrat
- Subgenus (Teanopus)
- Neotoma phenax - Sonoran Woodrat
- Subgenus (Teonoma)
- Neotoma cinerea - Bushy-tailed Woodrat
- Neotoma fuscipes - Dusky-footed Woodrat
- Subgenus (Neotoma)
See also
References
- Duff, A. and A. Lawson. 2004. Mammals of the World A Checklist. New Haven, Yale University Press.
- Kays, R. W., and D. E. Wilson. 2002. Mammals of North America. Princeton University Press, Princeton, 240 pp.
External links
"Pack rat"