Sigmodon arizonae
Silhouette: Natasha Vitek · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
The Arizona cotton rat or Colorado River cotton rat (Sigmodon arizonae) is a rat in the family Cricetidae. It is found in the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. The Arizona cotton rat has a typical rat-like appearance, and is sufficiently similar to the hispid cotton rat that it was considered to be part of the same species until 1970, when genetic analysis confirmed its distinct nature. It has bristly brownish fur over most of its body, with whitish underparts and grey feet. The scaly tail is dark in color, with very sparse fur. Adults range from 9.8 to 14.2 inches (250 to 360 mm) in total length, including the 3.9 to 5.9 in (99 to 150 mm) long tail, and weigh anything from 2.9 to 10.6 ounces (82 to 301 g). Males are slightly larger than females, but the two sexes are otherwise similar in appearance.
Females have ten or twelve teats, suggesting a maximum litter size of around this number. Reproduction is thought to occur year-round. The Arizona cotton rat is found in southern and central Arizona, the extreme southwestern corner of New Mexico, and in western Mexico from Sonora to Nayarit. They live close to rivers, streams... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mesa | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report an Arizona Cotton Rat sighting in Mesa on a given day, based on 16 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 9th most-seen of the 12 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report an Arizona Cotton Rat in Mesa on a given day, against under 5% in April, June–September and November, the lowest months. That is one of Mesa's wettest months, with about 30 mm of rain against almost none in June.
Between 7 and 10 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Arizona Cotton Rat sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Only Mesa, in our data
Mesa is the only city on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Arizona Cotton Rat sightings: about 10% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
Same order: Rodentia
The closest relatives of the Arizona Cotton Rat that you can see in Mesa (order Rodentia, Rodents) are Rock Squirrel (about 50%), Harris' Antelope Squirrel (about 20%) and Round-tailed Ground Squirrel (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Arizona Cotton Rat is recorded against all the mammals logged in Mesa (16 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
