MAMMALS OF UTAH 71 



Subfamily NEOTOMINAE— Wood Rats. 



DESERT WOOD RAT 



NEOTOMA DESERTORUM (Merriam) 



Neotoma desertorum Merriam, Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash. .IX, 

 pp. 125-126, July 2, 1894. Type froin Furnace Creek, 

 Death Valley, Inyo County, Cal.; No. 25739/33139, male 

 adult, U. S. Nat. Mus. (Biol. Sur. Collection); collected 

 by T. S. Palmer, January 31, 1891. 



Neotoma bella Bangs, Proc. New Eng. Zool. Club, I, pp. 66-67, 

 July 31, 1899. Type from Palm Springs, Riverside County, 

 Cal.; No. 5308, male adult, collection of E. A. and 0. 

 Bangs; collected by E. C. Thurber, April 12, 1896. 



Neotoma nevadensis Taylor, Univ. Cal. Pub. Zool. V, pp. 289- 

 296, pis. 27-29, February 12, 1910. Type from Virgin 

 Valley, Humboldt County, Nevada; No. 8282, female, 

 Univ. of Cal. Mus. of Vertebrate Zoology; collected by 

 Annie M. Alexander, May 17, 1909. 



Description — Fresh pelage: Upper parts pale pinkish 

 buffy, purest on cheeks and sides, becoming creamy buff 

 on middle of face, moderately darkened dorsally by blackish 

 hairs; feet and underparts white, the belly in some speci- 

 mens more or less suffused with pinkish buff; sides of 

 neck pinkish buff, this color sometimes spreading across 

 throat; tail varying from grayish brown to blackish above, 

 white below. (Goldman.) 



D^tribution — Desert regions in California, Nevada, 

 eastern Oregon, northern and western Utah, ranging along 

 the Colorado River and Green River systems to the Colorado 

 line. Specimens have been taken in Utah from Fort Cam- 

 eron, Henry mountain, Kanab, Kelton, Littl,e Pine valley, 

 Loa, Moccasin spring. Promontory, St. George and Santa 

 Clara. 



Habits — Members of this genus live usually in rocky or 

 mountainous regions where cliffs, caves, crevices or over- 

 hanging shelves afford protection; but some species prefer 

 plains or bushy hillsides where they build large conical nests 

 of sticks and rubbish. The nests, which often appear even 

 besides cliffs, have from half to a dozen entrances, some 

 above, some below the surface of the ground. The runways 

 radiate to the adjoining vegetation. All wood rats are ex- 

 pert climbers, some even building nests among the branches 

 of trees. 



Wood rats are chiefly nocturnal in habits, their food 

 consisting of grass, fruit, bulbs, bark, seeds, nuts, and fungi. 

 Their enemies include owls, hawks, snakes, wild cats, coy- 

 otes, foxes, and probably weasels. They sometimes girdle 

 shrubs, injure growing crops and steal stored grain. 



