HABITAT &
CONSERVATION
Nature’s Packrat
By Tony Burgett, Biologist Aide, Alabama Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries.
T
he term “packrat” often is used to describe a person who collects or saves a variety of items. This
term likely originated from the unique habits of the
Eastern Woodrat, also known as the packrat.
The Eastern Woodrat (Neotoma floridana) is a nocturnal,
solitary, medium-sized rodent weighting 6 to 12 ounces and
measuring 12 to 17 inches in length. It is sharply bi-colored,
with adults being a medium brown with black guard hairs
along its back. Juveniles have a slate gray color and both
adults and juveniles have a white underside extending from
their chest to the tip of their tails.
The woodrat’s range extends from southern Florida to
norttwest Kansas, where it inhabits wooded areas with a
dense understory of shrubs and vines. It also can be found
in hedgerows and rocky outcrops. Woodrat dens are located
around fallen trees or large rocks and often will be found
in abandoned buildings or discarded automobiles. In the
mountainous regions of its range, the den will be located
under overhanging rock ledges and in crevices or cracks in
the rocks. The den is occupied by one animal at a time, with
the exception being females with a litter of young.
Young woodrat’s develop quickly and are weaned at three to four weeks
of age. Young leave the den at around three months of age, when they
will seek out a den of their own and start storing a cache for their winter
food supply. IN the wild, a woodrat can have a life expectancy of three
to four years.
The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources promotes wise stewardship, management and enjoyment of Alabama’s natural resources through five divisions: Marine Police, Marine Resources,
State Lands, State Parks and Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries. To learn
more about ADCNR visit: www.outdooralabama.com.
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A woodrat den is constructed from an assortment of sticks,
twigs, leaves and grass, with each new occupant adding to
the den. An average size den will be two to three feet in
diameter and height, with older dens reaching heights of five
feet or more. The den not only provides the woodrat with
protection from adverse weather and some of its predators,
it also is large enough to allow the resident a nest site and a
storage chamber where it can store a supply of food to assist
it through the winter months. The woodrat’s diet consists of
fruit, seeds, acorns, berries, mushrooms and a variety of nuts.
In addition to storing food, the woodrat collects and stores a
variety of non-edible items, such as rocks, broken glass, bottle
caps, jar lids, shiny metals, empty shell casings, and other
man-made objects. It is this unique habit of collecting and
storing food and non-food items that has earned this animal
the nickname of “packrat.”
The woodrat is very solitary and only tolerates others during
the breeding season. The breeding season is determined by
the geographic location in the cooler climates of its northern
range, with most breeding in these areas typically occurring
in the spring through late fall. In the warmer southern range,
breeding can occur throughout the entire year. Females have
two to three litters per year, with litter size varying from one to
six, with two to three offspring being most common.
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