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Hispid Cotton Rat photographed on shoulder of road through Everglades National Park, Florida.
Photograph by David La Puma. Some rights reserved. |
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HISPID COTTON RAT FACTS
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Description
The Hispid Cotton Rat is a sturdy rat with grizzled brown fur above and grayish-white fur underneath. The coat also has longer stiff black guard hairs. The tail is shorter than the head and body.
Size
total length: 27cm
Environment
habitats with grassland and some shrub cover
Food
mainly green plants, also some invertebrates and other small animals and carrion
Breeding
A litter of up to 15 young is born in a ball-shaped nest made of woven grasses after a gestation period of about 27 days. The young weigh about 6g at birth and are weaned in 10-15 days
Range
from Virginia to Nebraska and south to northern parts of South America
Notes
The Hispid Cotton Rat has some resistance to the venom of the Western Diamondback Rattlesnake.
Classification
| Class: | Mammalia | | Order: | Rodentia | | Family: | Muridae | | Genus: | Sigmodon | | Species: | hispidus | | Common Name: | Hispid Cotton Rat |
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