Neotoma micropus
| Southern Plains Woodrat
(Neotoma micropus) | |
|---|---|
| Range | |
 | |
| Taxonomic classification | |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Suborder: | Supramyomorpha |
| Infraorder: | Myomorphi |
| Superfamily: | Muroidea |
| Family: | Cricetidae |
| Subfamily: | Neotominae |
| Tribe: | Neotomini |
| Genus: | Neotoma |
| Subgenus: | Neotoma (subgenus) |
| Binomial details | |
| Neotoma micropus S. F. Baird, 1855 | |
| Other resources | |
| Full taxonomic details at MDD | |
Description
From Armstrong et al. (2010): "Formerly called the gray woodrat, the Southern Plains woodrat is of medium size with a dense, soft slate to ash gray pelage. The tail is relatively short and sparsely haired, dusky gray above and paler whitish gray below. The venter is gray and the throat and chest are white. The feet are white. As with other woodrats the vibrissae are long and conspicuous."
From Schmidly & Bradley (2016): "A large, gray-colored woodrat with large ears and relatively short, heavy, sparsely haired tail. Differs from N. floridana, to which it is most closely related and which may occur in the same area, in gray, often bluish-gray, dorsal coloration. Upperparts pale drab, mixed with blackish hairs along the back; tail blackish above, grayish below; underparts and feet white."
External measurements
Length measurements are in millimeters (mm) and weight measurements are in grams (g), unless stated otherwise. If available, the sample size (n=) is provided. If a range is not provided and n= is not given, then the listed measurement represents an average.
| Part of range | Reference | Total length | Tail length | Hindfoot length | Ear length | Mass |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colorado | Armstrong et al. (2010) | 310–411 | 130–175 | 30–45 | 25–30 | 180–320 |
| Texas | Schmidly & Bradley (2016) | 351 | 163 | 41 | males: 272–310; females: 204–243 |
Skull characters
From Armstrong et al. (2010): "The skull has a strongly arched interorbital region, no maxillo-vomerine notch, and a short palatal bridge (usually with a posterior median spine)."
References
Armstrong DM, Fitzgerald JP, Meaney CA. 2010. Mammals of Colorado, Second Edition. Denver (CO, USA): University Press of Colorado.
Schmidly DJ, Bradley RD. 2016. The mammals of Texas. Austin (TX, USA): University of Texas Press.