Family: Muridae, Mice and Rats view all from this family
Description Brownish gray above; white or grayish below. Tail similarly colored. Feet white. Hairs gray at base, except patch of all-white hairs on throat. L 11 1/8 –15 3/4" (283–400 mm); T 3–7 1/4" (76–185 mm); HF 1 1/8 –1 1/2" (30–39 mm); Wt 4 3/4 –10 3/8 oz (136–294 g).
Similar Species Very similar Southern Plains Woodrat is steel-gray. Desert, Florida, and Mexican woodrats have throat hairs gray at base. Dusky-footed Woodrat has dusky hind ankles, tail darker brown above. Stephen’s Woodrat has longer hairs at tip of tail.
Breeding Breeds January–July in California; several litters of 2 or 3 young each; gestation at least 37 days.
Habitat Variable; often in arid situations, such as brushlands of dry plains and deserts. Often associated with prickly pear cactus and pinyon-juniper; also dead trees.
Range Extreme se California east to w Texas, extending north into se Utah and s Colorado.
Discussion The White-throated Woodrat is skilled at climbing spiny cacti, and cactus figures strongly in its diet, along with some juniper, yucca, and various other leafy plants. Highly adapted to desert living, this woodrat obtains its water from the food it eats, particularly prickly pear. It consumes very little grass or animal material and stores a small amount of food in its house, a large structure that contains the nest within it. The White-throated Woodrat generally chooses the base of a prickly pear or cholla cactus as the site for its house, using cactus needles to cover the entrance or entrances. Several houses may be present in a small clump of cacti, but no more than one adult resides in each. This species will also build in rocky crevices and sometimes adds an underground chamber if vegetation is scarce. Its dens are used by many other vertebrates and invertebrates. Like many woodrats, this species engages in hindfoot drumming, which is thought to express fear or serve as a means of communication. Woodrats are preyed upon by gopher snakes, rattlesnakes, Coyotes, great horned and probably other owls, Bobcats, Ringtails, and weasels.
