Eastern woodrat
| Eastern woodrat | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Neotoma floridana smalli | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Family: | Cricetidae |
| Genus: | Neotoma |
| Species: | N. floridana |
| Binomial name | |
| Neotoma floridana (Ord, 1818) | |
The eastern woodrat (Neotoma floridana),[2] is a pack rat native to the central and Eastern United States.[3] Its range extends from the latitude of southeastern New York south to the Gulf of Mexico. It has been recovered as a fossil from late Pleistocene deposits in southeastern New Mexico, several hundred miles southwest of its nearest current range.
Neotoma magister was previously considered to be within N. floridana, but the two are now considered to be separate species.[1]
As with most members of the genus, it feeds opportunistically on nuts, seeds, fungi, buds, stems, roots, foliage, and fruits.[1] In the southern states, it often lives in holes in the ground or hollow trees, constructing large nests.
Predators include black rat snakes and long-tailed weasels.[1]
The eastern woodrat has four clawed digits and a thumb on the front limbs, and five clawed digits on its rear limbs.[3]
References
Notes
Bibliography
- Harris, A. H. 1984. Neotoma in the Late Pleistocene of New Mexico and Chihuahua. Special Publications, Carnegie Museum of Natural History 8:164-178.
- Linzey, A.V., Jordan, R.A. & Hammerson, G. (2008). "Neotoma floridana". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2009.2. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 4 February 2010.
- Monty, Anne-Marie & Emerson, Robert E. (2003). "Eastern Woodrat". In Feldhamer, George A. et al. Wild mammals of North America: biology, management, and conservation. JHU Press. ISBN 978-0-8018-7416-1.
- Wiley, R. W. 1980. Neotoma floridana. Mammalian Species, No. 139:1-7.