In general, woodrats communicate with squeals, and warning signals are made by thumping the hind feet and vibrating the tail. Gasping or chirping sounds are made during mating. Scentmarking by rubbing the ventral side and foot-thumping is also common in Neotoma mexicana as a means of communicating.
Communication Channels: visual ; acoustic
Other Communication Modes: vibrations
Perception Channels: visual ; tactile ; vibrations ; chemical
This species does not have a conservation status because it is not threatened.
US Federal List: no special status
CITES: no special status
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: least concern
Neotoma mexicana is known to be one of the hosts of Chagas disease. One strain of the disease coincides with the distribution of the Mexican woodrat. It is transmitted through blood and causes infection in the organs and peripheral nervous system. Usually, the disease is transmitted by blood feeding insects. Neotoma mexicana is also a carrier of the arroyo virus, one that attacks the central nervous system.
Negative Impacts: injures humans (carries human disease)
Although it is not documented as a common ocurrance, Mexican woodrats may serve as food for humans.
Positive Impacts: food
Neotoma mexicana is an important source of prey for owls, foxes, coyotes, bobcats, weasels and rattlesnakes. They also disperse seeds.
Ecosystem Impact: disperses seeds
Neotoma mexicana forages on the ground or may climb like other woodrats. This species is a dietary generalist and eats nuts, berries, green vegetation, acorns, and fungi. They sometimes store their food.
Plant Foods: leaves; seeds, grains, and nuts; fruit
Other Foods: fungus
Foraging Behavior: stores or caches food
Primary Diet: herbivore (Folivore , Frugivore , Granivore ); mycophage
Neotoma mexicana, or Mexican woodrats, is found in the Southwestern United States from northern Colorado and southern Utah down through Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas and into Central Mexico and Guatemala.
Biogeographic Regions: nearctic (Native ); neotropical
Neotoma mexicana lives in rocky areas and normally builds nests in the cracks and crevices of canyon walls or boulders. Nests are also found in hollow trees or abandoned buildings. Mexican woodrats live mostly in mountainous areas, but can also be found in deciduous forests. One of the most common types of woodlands they are found in is piñon-juniper. Their elevation ranges from 15 to 4025 meters. Because they use cracks in rocky slopes, their dens are not very elaborate. They do, however, still accumulate sticks and other rubbish around their dens. Dens can sometimes be located by noticing fecal pellets because Neotoma mexicana defecates near its nest.
Range elevation: 15 to 4025 m.
Habitat Regions: temperate ; tropical ; terrestrial
Terrestrial Biomes: forest ; mountains
The lifespan of this species is not known.
Neotoma mexicana is grayish to brownish on its back and its underside is buff to white. It can be distinguished from desert woodrats because the tail has two distinct colors. It is brown on top and white on the bottom. The average body length of Neotoma mexicana is 300 mm and the average tail length is 125 mm. At birth, the animal weighs 9-12 grams and reaches 140-185 grams as an adult.
Range mass: 140 to 185 g.
Range length: 290 to 417 mm.
Average length: 300 mm.
Other Physical Features: endothermic ; bilateral symmetry
The known predators of Mexican woodrats are owls, foxes, coyotes, weasels, rattlesnakes, and bobcats. There are no anti-predator adaptations known for this species.
Known Predators:
Not much is known about the mating systems of the Mexican woodrat. Agonistic behavior has been observed in the laboratory setting during mating. Also, males may make a gasping sound when approaching a female to mate.
Mexican woodrats breed from March until May and usually produces two litters during that time. Each litter can have 2-5 pups, and the gestation period is about 33 days. The young are weaned anywhere from 4-6 weeks after birth. Females reach sexual maturity at a younger age than males. After 1-2 months, females can reach sexual maturity and even produce their own litters during that same breeding season. On the other hand, males reach sexual maturity at around 8 months. Also, Neotoma mexicana experiences a post-partum estrus.
Breeding interval: Mexican woodrats will usually have two litters per breeding season.
Breeding season: Breeding occurs from March through May and may last longer in the southern part of the range.
Range number of offspring: 2 to 5.
Range gestation period: 31 to 34 days.
Average gestation period: 33 days.
Range weaning age: 4 to 6 weeks.
Range age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female): 2 (low) months.
Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (male): 9 months.
Key Reproductive Features: iteroparous ; seasonal breeding ; gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); sexual ; viviparous ; post-partum estrous
The young are found in a nest along with either an adult male or adult female, not both. Not much is known about the care or investment provided by the parents, but these animals are born underdeveloped and reach sexual maturity at 2 months for females and 9 months for males. The time of weaning is 4-6 weeks.
Parental Investment: altricial
The Mexican woodrat (Neotoma mexicana) is a medium-sized pack rat.
It ranges from the United States (Utah, Colorado, New Mexico and parts of Arizona and Trans-Pecos Texas) south to Honduras. Although occurring at lower elevations during the Pleistocene, it generally is limited now to highlands supporting open coniferous forests or woodlands. In a few places, it occurs in lower country where lava or boulder fields occur; presumably the presence of spaces extending far below the surface enables survival. Like most members of the genus living in rocky areas, dens tend to take advantage of crevices, rock shelters, and caves; stick nests are relatively rare.
The type locality is near Chihuahua, Mexico. Some 26 species names have been applied to populations of the Mexican woodrat and are now considered synonyms.
The animal averages a bit over 300 mm in total length and weighs 140 to 185 g. Their diets tend to be generalist, with a wide variety of berries, vegetation, nuts, acorns, and fungi, though foliage seems to make up the major food class.
The Mexican woodrat (Neotoma mexicana) is a medium-sized pack rat.
