Mammals of the Southwest Mountains and MesasOlin, George
Science
Mammals of the Southwest Mountains and Mesas
Olin, George
Mammals -- Southwest, New
On the following night plans were laid with care. Two 5-gallon oil cans
were placed in the doorway. This left a narrow passageway just wide
enough to accommodate a small jump trap. A piece of newspaper was placed
over the trap and the end of the chain wired to the head of the steel
bedstead. A short time after the lights were put out, a scratching noise
indicated that the animal had come in through the hole. All was quiet
until its nose came into contact with one of the empty cans. Then snap!
A series of squeaks and the rattle of the chain gave warning that the
creature was climbing into bed. As it came in over the head, the wildly
excited occupants left by the foot. When the light was struck the rat
was sitting in the middle of the bed. A heavy boot soon dispatched it
and a semblance of order again returned to the bunkhouse. Strange to
say, no more woodrats came in for the remainder of the season.
Although such experiences are the rule when this rat has moved into a
dwelling, it is a delightful creature in its native haunts. It is a rim
rock dweller; that is, it likes best to build its nest far back in some
deep crevice of a cliff. If such a location is not available it may find
a protected site in a talus slope or even among the roots of a tree.
Usually these natural fortresses are further reinforced by the addition
of a pile of sticks and miscellaneous materials piled helter skelter
over the nest. The nest itself is quite large, usually a foot or more in
diameter, built of the softest and warmest materials at hand. Somewhere
adjacent to the nest will be found one or more caches of food against
the time when the snows are deep and famine stalks the land. As has been
mentioned, the woodrat is usually associated with the pines of the
Transition Life Zone and above, and pine nuts are one of its most
popular items of food. Acorns, seeds, berries, stone fruits, and some
vegetation round out its vegetable diet. It will also eat meat whenever
available although, except for insects, shows little inclination to kill
its own. With such a varied menu, it seems entirely proper to call this
rodent omnivorous.
One of the most characteristic marks of the woodrat’s home is a strong,
musky odor. This is not an indication of uncleanliness. The animal is
most fastidious in its toilette but has this body odor in large measure.
A study skin will retain a strong trace of it for many years. Whether it
functions for an identification to others of the species is not known,
but it could well serve this purpose.
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