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Note:
The Allegany woodrat can alsobe referred to the eastern woodrat,
woodrat, pack rat, trade rat, and cliff rat. |
Features:
o total length (12 1/4 to 17 inches)
o tail (5 to 8 inches)
o ear (3/4 to 1 1/16 inches)
o weight (6 to 12 ounces)
o Dental formula ( upper jaw/lower jaw: incisor 1/1 canine 0/0
premolar 0/0 molar 3/3, total of 16)
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The medium-sized
rodent with short-hairded ears, bulging black eyes, and very
long whiskers, the woodrat has a gray head with a white belly
and feet, and darker brown hair along its midline. The grizzled
appearance is due to black and brownish hairs intermixed. The
young are a bit grayer than adults. The distinctive features
of this species of woodrat include a blunt snout, large ears,
and a less coarse pelage of its cousins. The tail of the woodrat
is distinguishing in that it is dark gray above and white below.
Voice
and Sound: Seldom
do woodrats make noises, they squeal while angry and fighting,
and also utter low chirps at mating time.When alarmed, they
may stamp their hind feet creating a tapping noise. In addition,
woodrats may vibrate their tales creating a buzzing sound.
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Above: Each front foot
had four clawed toes and a small thumb, while each hind foot had
5 clawed toes. Hind foot = (1 3/8 to 1 5/8
inches). |
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Left:
skull length (1 7/8 to 2 inches)
skull width (1 to 1 1/8 inches) |
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Tracks:
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Above: Woodrat
nest
Woodrats usually build their nests in crevices
or caves in limestone bluffs and outcrops. On the ground,
they build their nests out of sticks and piles of brush, and
above ground in shrubs or trees, and even underground in cut
banks along streams, as well as in abanoned barns and buildings.
The nest gan get up to 1 1/2 feet to 4 feet in diameter, and
3 or more feet high. The woodrat has aquired the nickname
"packrat" because of its use of many different materials
for its nest, including ticks, grass and leaves, old bones,
pieces of metal, rocks, bark, and more. The cavity of the
nest is small, though, from 5 to 8 inches in diameter. |
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