Ecological Observations on the Woodrat, Neotoma floridana

by Henry S. Fitch; Dennis G. Rainey

(13.) This young adult remained at her house at the rock fence approximately four months. In this period she was captured 11 times. On March 16, 1952, she had moved 410 feet to a house at the eastern section of outcrop, probably searching for a male. She was never seen again.

(14.) This subadult female moved from the site of original capture to a house 253 feet away on the same outcrop. She was probably in search of a new home when caught the first time. She was recorded at another house 40 feet away on one occasion.

(15.) Over a span of 90 days and 15 captures this female was not recorded as making any movement. She was living in one of the woodland houses. Mature males were numerous in the area and she was visited by at least two.

(16.) This female was also living in the woodland section and was first caught on March 30, 1952, in one of the less favorable houses. She was trapped 17 times over a period of 85 days. One movement of 68 feet to a new home site was recorded, but the area of foraging probably did not change. She was caught here four times and then disappeared.

(17.) This female was first trapped as a subadult on October 5, 1948, at a house in brush on the upper part of a north slope. On November 24 she had shifted 590 feet to the bottom of the slope and was living in the recess beneath an undermined honey locust on a gully bank. On November 25 she was caught in a similar situation 100 feet farther east along the gully bank. She was recaptured at the gully on November 26 and 30, December 1, 3, 22, and March 8 and 9, and in all she shifted six times between the two gully-bank dens.

(18.) This female was first trapped as an adult on November 18, 1948, in a gully-bank den. She was recaptured at this same place a year later, on November 18 and 30, 1949. On February 19, 1950, she was caught at a hollow sycamore 650 feet farther up the gully, and she was recaptured there on February 25 and April 7, and on June 15, 1951. On August 6, 1951, she was caught at a house in a thicket on the gully bank, between the first and second locations and 150 feet from the latter.

(19.) This female was recorded only twice; on October 15, 1948, she was at a hilltop rock outcrop. On July 14, 1950, she had moved 1480 feet and was living in a rock pile at the base of the slope, near the same hollow sycamore where female No. 18 had been caught.

(20.) This female was first caught as an adult on April 5, 1950, at a large boulder of a hillside rock outcrop. On October 7, 1950, she had shifted 110 feet to a house at an osage orange tree on the hilltop rock outcrop. On November 9 she was back at the first location and on November 28 she had moved 70 feet south along the hillside outcrop. On January 11 and February 9, 1951, she was back at the original location. On November 9, and 21, 1951, she was again at the site 70 feet south, and was still there at her last capture on February 3, 1952.

Ordinarily each house that is in use harbors only a single woodrat. To a greater degree than any other kind of mammal on this area woodrats show intraspecific intolerance. On various occasions when captives were placed in the same or adjacent cages, they focused their attention on each other with evident hostility, the more powerful or aggressive individuals attacking or pursuing. Several times the confinement of two rats in the same live-trap or cage resulted in the death of the weaker individual, and seemingly this is the normal outcome unless the attacked rat is able to escape. On various other occasions two or more rats have been caught in the same trap simultaneously but in every instance these were either: a pair of adults, the female appearing to be in oestrus; a lactating female and one or more of her young; or young less than half-grown, that were obviously litter mates. Older woodrats, especially males, often have their ears torn and punctured from fighting.

Territoriality involves, primarily, defense of the house itself. An individual that ventures into an occupied house may be quickly routed by the occupant even though the latter is smaller. Chasing has been observed occasionally, but it is doubtful whether any individual is able consistently to defend the entire area over which it forages. Because each rat spends most of its time within the shelter of its house, an intruder might venture onto its home range unchallenged and undetected, so long as it did not enter the nest cavity.