Big-eared woodrat

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Big-eared woodrat
Neotoma macrotis.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Family: Cricetidae
Subfamily: Neotominae
Genus: Neotoma
Species:
N. macrotis
Binomial name
Neotoma macrotis
Thomas, 1893

The big-eared woodrat (Neotoma macrotis) is a nocturnal rodent of the woodrat genus Neotoma , in the family Cricetidae. [2] Closely related to, and formerly included in the species Neotoma fuscipes , it is endemic to western North America and occurs west and south of the Salinas Valley from the California Coast Ranges south of Monterey Bay to northern Baja California, as well as in the Sierra Nevada, extending north to the South Fork American River. [3]

Contents

The big-eared woodrat is light to dark brown in color, often with a lighter underside. It has characteristically large mobile ears, large eyes, and a long, fur covered tail. It is a primarily arboreal herbivore and functions as an important keystone species in oak and other forest ecosystems. [4]

Taxonomy

Although often misconstrued to be related to common rats, woodrats are not in fact part of the genus Rattus and are quite biologically and behaviorally different from them. [4] See pack rat for similar species to the big-eared woodrat.

Following a morphological and molecular analysis conducted in 2002, the big-eared woodrat (Neotoma macrotis) was upgraded from a subspecies of the dusky-footed woodrat ( Neotoma fuscipes ) to be recognized as its own taxonomically distinct species. [3] As a result of this relatively recent reclassification, much of the information regarding this species encompasses both big-eared and dusky-footed woodrats.

While the two species are quite visually similar, so much so that they are difficult to differentiate in most common sightings and encounters, morphologically, the big-eared woodrat can be distinguished from the dusky-footed woodrat through small differences in the anatomy of the skull and of the penis. [5]

Distribution and habitat

The big-eared woodrat inhabits the southern portion of what was formerly the range of the dusky-footed woodrat, with the latter woodrat species inhabiting the northern portion the range. [3] Specifically, big-eared woodrats' can be found along the west coast of North America from just south of Monterey Bay to Baja California. They are also found in the southern Sierra Nevada mountains, much of Southern California, and have discontiguous populations in California's central valley. Their habitat consists of coastal chaparral, sage scrub, and densely wooded areas, with preferences for regions populated by coast live oak and with extensive understory plant coverage. [5]

Diet

The big-eared woodrat is primarily herbivorous, and consumes a wide variety of plants throughout its life. However, unlike most mammalian herbivores (which tend to be dietary generalists), big-eared woodrats have specialized to prefer consuming the leaves of plants that are very fibrous and that contain high quantities of tannins and other polyphenolics, such as oak trees. This unusual specialization allows them to capitalize on food sources that are both abundant and that lack major competition. [6] Big-eared woodrats consume oak leaves as greater than 85% of their diet, and this specialization differentiates big-eared woodrats from other species in the Neotoma genus that prefer more mixed diets of a variety of plant species. [7]

Behavior and ecology

Diseases

A study of the species found the "Bear Canyon" virus, a mammarenavirus, traditionally associated with the California mouse, is actually passed by the big-eared woodrat before host-jumping to the California mouse. [8]

Conservation status

The big-eared woodrat is listed as a least-concern species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, [1] but there are growing conservation concerns due to habitat loss and fragmentation, which in Southern California is particularly caused by urbanization. This is a concern not only due to the potential for future declines in woodrat populations, but also due to the role these animals hold as an important prey species in the diets of predatory birds. [5]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Desert woodrat</span> Species of rodent

The desert woodrat is a species of pack rat native to desert regions of western North America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neotominae</span> Subfamily of mammals

The Neotominae are a subfamily of the family Cricetidae. They consist of four tribes, 16 genera, and many species of New World rats and mice, predominantly found in North America. Among them are the well-known deer mice, white-footed mice, packrats, and grasshopper mice.

A generalist species is able to thrive in a wide variety of environmental conditions and can make use of a variety of different resources. A specialist species can thrive only in a narrow range of environmental conditions or has a limited diet. Most organisms do not all fit neatly into either group, however. Some species are highly specialized, others less so, and some can tolerate many different environments. In other words, there is a continuum from highly specialized to broadly generalist species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eastern woodrat</span> Species of rodent

The eastern woodrat, also known as the Florida woodrat or bush rat, is a pack rat native to the central and Eastern United States. It constructs large dens that may serve as nests for many generations and stores food in outlying caches for the winter. While widespread and not uncommon, it has declined or disappeared in several areas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Allegheny woodrat</span> Species of rodent

The Allegheny woodrat, is a species of "pack rat" in the genus Neotoma. Once believed to be a subspecies of the eastern woodrat, extensive DNA analysis has proven it to be a distinct species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White-throated woodrat</span> Species of rodent

The white-throated woodrat is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is found from central Mexico north to Utah and Colorado in the United States. It is primarily a western species in the United States, extending from central Texas west to southeastern California. Populations east of the Rio Grande in New Mexico and Trans-Pecos Texas, previously considered to be variants of the white-throated woodrat, have since 1988 been assigned to the white-toothed woodrat.

Anthony's woodrat is an extinct subspecies of Bryant's woodrat in the family Cricetidae. It was found only on Isla Todos Santos in Baja California, Mexico. It is thought to have been driven to extinction through predation from feral cats.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dusky-footed woodrat</span> Species of rodent

The dusky-footed woodrat is a species of nocturnal rodent in the family Cricetidae. They are commonly called "packrats" or "trade rats" and build large, domed dens that can reach several feet in height. Coyotes and other predators will attempt to prey on these rodents by laying waste to the dens, but the sheer volume of material is usually dissuasive. Occasionally, dusky-footed woodrats will build satellite dens in trees. Although these animals are solitary, except in the mating season, dens are frequently found in clusters of up to several dozen, forming rough "communities". The mating system in this species appears to be variable, with promiscuity most generally at high population densities and monogamy at lower densities.

Stephen's woodrat is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae found in Arizona, New Mexico and Utah in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">California deermouse</span> Species of rodent

The California deermouse or California mouse is a species of rodent in the subfamily Neotominae in the family Cricetidae. It is the only species in the Peromyscus californicus species group. It is found in northwestern Mexico and central to southern California. It is the largest Peromyscus species in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White-toothed woodrat</span> Species of rodent

Neotoma leucodon is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. Although originally named from San Luis Potosí, Mexico, as a species by Merriam, the white-toothed woodrat was long considered to be a synonym of the white-throated woodrat. Molecular data, however, indicate the populations east of the Rio Grande in New Mexico and Trans-Pecos Texas represent a different species than morphologically similar populations west of the river.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pack rat</span> Genus of rodents

A pack rat or packrat, also called a woodrat or trade rat, are any species in the North and Central American rodent genus Neotoma. Pack rats have a rat-like appearance, with long tails, large ears, and large, black eyes. Pack rats are noticeably larger than deer mice, harvest mice, and grasshopper mice, and are usually somewhat larger than cotton rats.

References

  1. 1 2 Álvarez-Castañeda, S.T.; Lacher, T. (2016). "Neotoma macrotis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016: e.T14597A22370553. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-2.RLTS.T14597A22370553.en . Retrieved 18 November 2021.
  2. Musser, G.G.; Carleton, M.D. (2005). "Superfamily Muroidea". In Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 1057. ISBN   978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC   62265494.
  3. 1 2 3 Matocq, Marjorie D. (August 2002). "Morphological and Molecular Analysis of a Contact Zone in the Neotoma fuscipes Species Complex". Journal of Mammalogy . 83 (3): 866–883. doi: 10.1644/1545-1542(2002)083<0866:MAMAOA>2.0.CO;2 .
  4. 1 2 Marianchild, Kate. Secrets of the oak woodlands : plants and animals among California's oaks. Maglinte, Ann Meyer. Berkeley, California. ISBN   978-1-59714-372-1. OCLC   1076269408.
  5. 1 2 3 Haynie, Michelle L.; Fulhorst, Charles F.; Rood, Michael; Bennett, Stephen G.; Hess, Barry D.; Bradley, Robert D. (2007-06-01). "Genetic Variation in Multilocus Microsatellite Genotypes in Two Species of Woodrats (Neotoma macrotis and N. fuscipes) from California". Journal of Mammalogy. 88 (3): 745–758. doi:10.1644/06-MAMM-A-041R1.1. ISSN   0022-2372. PMC   2777661 . PMID   19920871.
  6. Atsatt, Peter R.; Ingram, Trudy (1983-10-01). "Adaptation to oak and other fibrous, phenolic-rich foliage by a small mammal, Neotoma fuscipes". Oecologia. 60 (1): 135–142. doi:10.1007/BF00379333. ISSN   1432-1939. PMID   28310547. S2CID   20483219.
  7. Skopec, Michele M.; Haley, Shannon; Torregrossa, Ann‐Marie; Dearing, M. Denise (2008-07-01). "An Oak (Quercus agrifolia) Specialist (Neotoma macrotis) and a Sympatric Generalist (Neotoma lepida) Show Similar Intakes and Digestibilities of Oak". Physiological and Biochemical Zoology. 81 (4): 426–433. doi:10.1086/589106. ISSN   1522-2152. PMID   18544017. S2CID   11152145.
  8. Cajimat, M. N. B.; Milazzo, M. L.; Hess, B. D.; Rood, M. P.; Fulhorst, C. F. (2007-10-25). "Principal host relationships and evolutionary history of the North American arenaviruses". Virology . 367 (2): 235–243. doi:10.1016/j.virol.2007.05.031. PMC   2323605 . PMID   17624390.