Family: Muridae, Mice and Rats view all from this family

Description Buff-brown above, grayer on face; grayish to whitish below; belly often washed with tan. Feet and ankles dusky; toes and claws white. Tail scantily haired; brown above, slightly paler below; nearly half total length. L 13 1/4–18 3/4" (335–475 mm); T 6 1/4 –8 7/8" (158–227 mm); HF 1 3/8" –1 1/2" (34–37 mm); E 1 3/8" –1 7/8" (34–47 mm); Wt 8 1/4–9 3/8 oz (233–267 g).

Endangered Status The Riparian Woodrat, a subspecies of the Dusky-footed Woodrat, is on the U.S. Endangered Species List. It is classified as endangered in California. This rat requires densely brushy riverside habitat, and once found sufficient habitat throughout the Central Valley. Water diversion practices throughout the 20th century modified this habitat to such an extent that today there is only one known population of this woodrat remaining, at Caswell Memorial State Park, on the Stanislaus River.

Similar Species Desert and White-throated woodrats have white hindfeet. Desert Woodrat has a shorter tail, hindfoot, and ear, and its belly hairs are gray at base. Bushy-tailed Woodrat has flattened bushy tail. White-throated Woodrat has hairs on throat that are white to base.

Breeding Breeds February– September; 1 litter per year of 1–4 young; gestation 33 days.

Habitat Conifer and hardwood forests; chaparral.

Range Western Oregon south through California.

Discussion The Dusky-footed Woodrat builds its nest on the ground in open areas or in a tree up to 50 feet (15 m) high when it dwells in woodlands. A nest, often the result of work by several generations of woodrats, is usually occupied by a female and her young, although two females sometimes occupy a single nest. One woodrat occupies one or two nests, and may use a nest for up to nine months. Several rats may occur together in the same area. The diet of the Dusky-footed Woodrat is mostly green vegetation, but also includes fruit, nuts, seeds, and subterranean fungi. This animal often caches materials, such as numerous kinds of plants, in chambers inside its nest. The cache chambers often provide homes for various frogs, small mammals, and invertebrates. The Dusky-footed Woodrat apparently establishes pair bonds for the mating season, but after mating, the male lives separately in a small tree nest. Teeth-chattering may occur when the woodrat is disturbed inside the nest, and this species will rattle its tail against tree limbs outside. Predators are owls, Coyotes, weasels, skunks, house cats, and Bobcats.