| Eastern Woodrat | |
|---|---|
| Neotoma floridana smalli | |
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Family: | Cricetidae |
| Genus: | Neotoma |
| Species: | N. floridana |
| Binomial name | |
| Neotoma floridana (Ord, 1818) |
|
The Eastern Woodrat (Neotoma floridana)[2], is a species of pack rat that is native to the central and eastern United States.[3] Its range extends from the latitude of southeastern New York south to the Gulf of Mexico. It has been recovered as a fossil from late Pleistocene deposits in southeastern New Mexico, several hundred miles southwest of its nearest current range.
Neotoma magister was previously considered to be within N. floridana, but the two are now considered to be separate species.[1]
As with most members of the genus, it feeds opportunistically on nuts, seeds, fungi, buds, stems, roots, foliage and fruits.[1] In the southern states it often lives in holes in the ground or hollow trees, constructing large nests.
Predators include black rat snakes and long-tailed weasels.[1]
The Eastern Woodrat has four clawed digits and a thumb on the front limbs, and five clawed digits on its rear limbs.[3]