Stats

Lifespan

2-4 yrs

Size

Small

Diet

Herbivore

Activity

Nocturnal

Social

Solitary

Biome

Temperate woodland

Range

Western North America

Movement

Climbing

Breeding

Live birth

Defense

Armor

Status

Uncommon

About

A secretive California woodland rodent famous for building massive stick-and-debris houses, sometimes over 8 feet across and used by generations of woodrats for decades. It hoards shiny or unusual objects in its nest, earning it the nickname 'pack rat'.

Life cycle

1. 1.
   newborn pup

   A blind, hairless pup nurses in the nest and is unable to regulate its own warmth.
2. 2.
   juvenile

   A weaned juvenile is fully furred, leaves the nest, and begins foraging on solid food.
3. 3.
   adult

   Fully grown and self-sufficient.

Learn more

• View on iNaturalist →

Taxonomy

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Chordata

Class

Mammalia

Order

Rodentia

Family

Cricetidae

Genus

Neotoma

Species

Neotoma fuscipes