Family: Muridae, Mice and Rats view all from this family
Description Body and tail grayish brown above, pale or whitish buff below. Long, sparsely furred tail, showing scales. Feet whitish. Ears and eyes medium-size. L 7 3/8" –12" (187–305 mm); T 3 1/4 –6 1/8" (84–156 mm); HF 1 1/8–1 1/2" (28–37 mm); Wt 1–2 3/4 oz (30–78 g).
Endangered Status The Rice Rat, a subspecies of the Marsh Rice Rat, is on the U.S. Endangered Species List. It is classified as endangered in Florida, where it lives in the westerly Keys. This rat historically lived in salt marsh habitat, and its decline came as its habitat was destroyed to make way for residential and commerical development in the Florida Keys. Much of Rice Rat's remaining habitat is within the National Key Deer Refuge, and thus is protected.
Similar Species Cotton rats have longer, more grizzled fur, and shorter tails. Norway Rat is larger, with proportionally shorter, thicker tail. Black Rat’s tail is longer and uniformly dark. Woodrats are larger, pure white below, with longer ears. Coues’ Rice Rat is larger, more brownish, with proportionally longer tail.
Breeding Breeds throughout year; several litters of 4–6 young each; gestation 25 days. Young are weaned in 11–20 days.
Habitat Mostly marshes; also drier areas among grasses or sedges.
Range Mainly se U.S.: south from se Kansas, se Missouri, s Illinois, s Kentucky, and e North Carolina; south along East Coast from se Pennsylvania and s New Jersey; west to e Texas (with populations in extreme s Texas).
Discussion The Marsh Rice Rat is a semiaquatic rodent. It swims underwater and dives with ease, foraging on the tender parts of aquatic plants. Its diet also includes crabs, fruits, insects, snails, and subterranean fungus (Endogone). The nest is about the size of a large grapefruit, woven of grass and sedges. It is built in cattails or bulrushes, under a shrub, on a high place on the ground under debris, or at the end of a shallow burrow. Barn owls, marsh hawks, and cottonmouth snakes are some of the Marsh Rice Rat’s predators.
