Roadless Areas
Home/Species/ Big-eared Woodrat

Neotoma macrotis

Thomas, 1893

Big-eared Woodrat

G5Secure Found in 3 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
Least concernIUCN
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.768509
Element CodeAMAFF08120
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVertebrate Animal
IUCNLeast concern
KingdomAnimalia
PhylumCraniata
ClassMammalia
OrderRodentia
FamilyCricetidae
GenusNeotoma
Other Common Names
Large-eared Woodrat (EN)
Concept Reference
Motacq, M. D. 2002. Morphological and molecular analysis of a contact zone in the Neotoma fuscipes complex. Journal of Mammalogy 83:866-883.
Taxonomic Comments
Based on concordant patterns of morphological and mtDNA variation, Matocq (2002) split N. fuscipes into two species, N. fuscipes (dusky-footed woodrat) and N. macrotis (large-eared woodrat).
Conservation Status
Review Date2005-02-23
Change Date2005-02-23
Range Extent Comments
Northern Baja California northward through southwestern California to central California along the coast and to roughly the Lake Tahoe region in the Sierra Nevada (Matocq 2002).
Ecology & Habitat
Other Nations (1)
United StatesN5
ProvinceRankNative
CaliforniaSNRYes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
2 - Agriculture & aquaculture——High (continuing)
2.3 - Livestock farming & ranching——High (continuing)
7 - Natural system modifications——High (continuing)
7.1 - Fire & fire suppression——High (continuing)

—

Roadless Areas (3)
California (3)
AreaForestAcres
CalienteCleveland National Forest5,953
Dennison PeakSequoia National Forest6,293
South SierraSequoia National Forest8,008
References (21)
  1. American Society of Mammalogists (ASM). 2025. Mammal Diversity Database (Version 1.13) [Data set]. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10595931. Online. Available: https://www.mammaldiversity.org/
  2. Baker, R. J., L. C. Bradley, R. D. Bradley, J. W. Dragoo, M. D. Engstrom, R. S. Hoffman, C. A. Jones, F. Reid, D. W. Rice, and C. Jones. 2003a. Revised checklist of North American mammals north of Mexico, 2003. Museum of Texas Tech University Occasional Papers 229:1-23.
  3. Banks, E. M., R. J. Brooks, and J. Schnell. 1975. A radiotracking study of home range and activity of the brown lemming (<i>Lemmus trimucronatus</i>). Journal of Mammalogy 56:888-901.
  4. Bowman, J. C., M. Edwards, L. S. Sheppard, and G. J. Forbes. 1999. Record distance for a non-homing movement by a deer mouse, <i>Peromyscus maniculatus</i>. Canadian Field-Naturalist 113:292-293.
  5. Bradley, R. D., C. W. Edwards, L. L. Lindsey, J. R. Bateman, M. NB Cajimat, M. L. Milazzo, C. F. Fulhorst, M. D. Matocq, and M. R. Mauldin. 2022. Reevaluation of the phylogenetic relationships among Neotomini rodents (<i>Hodomys</i>, <i>Neotoma</i>, and <i>Xenomys</i>) and comments on the woodrat classification. Journal of Mammalogy 103(5):1221-1236.
  6. Brooks, R. J., and E. M. Banks. 1971. Radio-tracking study of lemming home range. Communications in Behavioral Biology 6:1-5.
  7. Castleberry, S., B., T. L. King, P. B. Wood, and W. M. Ford. 2002. Microsatellite DNA analysis of population structure in Allegheny woodrats (<i>Neotoma magister</i>). Journal of Mammalogy 83:1058-1070.
  8. Douglass, R. J. 1977. Population dynamics, home ranges, and habitat associations of the yellow-cheeked vole, <i>Microtus xanthognathus</i>, in the Northwest Territories. Canadian Field-Naturalist 91:237-47.
  9. Garland, T., Jr. and W. G. Bradley. 1984. Effects of a highway on Mojave Desert rodent populations. American Midland Naturalist 111:47-56.
  10. Hall, E. R. 1981a. The Mammals of North America, second edition. Vols. I &amp; II. John Wiley &amp; Sons, New York, New York. 1181 pp.
  11. Jike, L., G. O. Batzli, L. L. Geta. 1988. Home ranges of prairie voles as determined by radiotracking and by powdertracking. Journal of Mammalogy 69:183-186.
  12. Krohne, D. T., and G. A. Hoch. 1999. Demography of <i>Peromyscus leucopus</i> populations on habitat patches: the role of dispersal. Canadian Journal of Zoology 77:1247-1253.
  13. MacMillen, R. E. 1964. Population ecology, water relations and social behavior of a southern California semidesert rodent fauna. University of California Publications in Zoology 71:1-59.
  14. Maier, T. J. 2002. Long-distance movements by female white-footed mice, <i>Peromyscus leucopus</i>, in extensive mixed-wood forest. Canadian Field-Naturalist 116:108-111.
  15. Motacq, M. D. 2002. Morphological and molecular analysis of a contact zone in the <i>Neotoma fuscipes</i> complex. Journal of Mammalogy 83:866-883.
  16. Oxley, D. J., M. B. Fenton and G. R. Carmody. 1974. The effects of roads on populations of small mammals. Journal of Applied Ecology 11: 51-59.
  17. Rehmeier, R. L., G. A. Kaufman, and D. W. Kaufman. 2004. Long-distance movements of the deer mouse in tallgrass prairie. Journal of Mammalogy 85:562-568.
  18. Smith, M. H. 1965. Dispersal capacity of the dusky-footed wood rat, <i>Neotoma fuscipes</i>. American Midland Naturalist 74:457-463.
  19. Storer, T. I., F. C. Evans, and F. G. Palmer. 1944. Some rodent populations in the Sierra Nevada of California. Ecological Monographs 14:166-192.
  20. Wilkins, K. T. 1982. Highways as barriers to rodent dispersal. Southwestern Naturalist 27: 459-460.
  21. Wilson, D. E., and D. M. Reeder (editors). 2005. Mammal species of the world: a taxonomic and geographic reference. Third edition. The Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore. Two volumes. 2,142 pp. [As modified by ASM the Mammal Diversity Database (MDD) at https://www.mammaldiversity.org/index.html]