Family: Muridae, Mice and Rats view all from this family

Description Steel-gray back with throat hairs white to base. Bicolored tail is relatively short and sparsely haired. Fur soft, dense, darker than in the Eastern Woodrat, and less colorful than the Mexican Woodrat. Belly is pale gray; throat and chest are white. Feet are white.

Dimensions 335-410mm, 130-175mm, 210-315g; / 310-380mm, 130-165mm, 180-275g

Breeding Breeding occurs in spring and fall and a litter of 2 or 3 is born after a gestation period of 30-39 days. Young are weaned at 30 days, disperse in 6 months, attain adult size at 9 months, and live up to 27 months.

Habitat Deserts, Scrub, shrub & brushlands, Grasslands & prairies

Range Plains, Southwest, Texas

Discussion Dens are built from sticks, manure, and cactus joints around desert vegetation. Found on rocky hillsides and grassy lowlands with desert scrub vegetation.