Neotoma albigula
Silhouette: T. Michael Keesey · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
The white-throated woodrat (Neotoma albigula) is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is found from central Mexico north to Utah and Colorado in the United States. It is primarily a western species in the United States, extending from central Texas west to southeastern California. Populations east of the Rio Grande in New Mexico and Trans-Pecos Texas, previously considered to be variants of the white-throated woodrat, have since 1988 been assigned to the white-toothed woodrat (N. leucodon).
The animal lives mostly in the Upper and Lower Sonoran life zones, occurring from pinyon-juniper woodland in higher country to desert habitats at lower elevations. As with other species of woodrats, the white-throated woodrat constructs middens of a variety of materials such as sticks, cactus parts, and miscellaneous debris. An above-ground chamber within the midden contains a nest lined with grasses and kept free of feces. In non-rocky areas, the den usually is several feet in diameter and most commonly built around the base of a shrub that gives additional cover. In areas of rocky outcrops, crevices often are utilized, with sticks and other materials preventing free access to the nesting chamber.
Molecular data suggest that this species separated from other species of the Neotoma floridana group (Neotoma floridana, Neotoma micropus, Neotoma leucodon) about 155,000 years ago during the Illinoian Stage of the Pleistocene. This is consistent with the oldest known fossils from Slaton, Texas. This rodent is a common fossil in Southwestern cave faunas, with over 20 fossil localities of Pleistocene age known from New Mexico alone. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Saguaro National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Phoenix | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Elmwood Park Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a White-throated Woodrat sighting in Phoenix on a given day, based on 21 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 10th most-seen of the 14 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.
April–June, August and December–February
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a White-throated Woodrat in Phoenix on a given day, against under 5% in March, July and September–November, the lowest months.
Between 7 and 10 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most White-throated Woodrat sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is most active around dawn and dusk.
Only Phoenix, in our data
Phoenix is the only city on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate White-throated Woodrat sightings: about 10% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
Same order: Rodentia
The closest relatives of the White-throated Woodrat that you can see in Phoenix (order Rodentia, Rodents) are Round-tailed Ground Squirrel (about 30%), Harris' Antelope Squirrel (about 20%) and Rock Squirrel (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the White-throated Woodrat is recorded against all the mammals logged in Phoenix (21 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.
