In the monument, the cliff chipmunk prefers the oak-pine woodland and the coniferous forest.
Among the monument rodents the largest are the PORCUPINES. Though rarely seen, they leave characteristic scars on pinyons and ponderosa pines, recording their feeding habits at higher elevations. They are also active in the chaparral belt, and an individual occasionally wanders down into the desert where it eats mesquite beans and samples the bark of ocotillos and other shrubs and trees.
Several species of ground squirrels are abundant. At the lower levels, especially among creosotebushes, the ROUNDTAIL GROUND SQUIRREL finds suitable living conditions, while the YUMA ANTELOPE GROUND SQUIRREL ranges from the cactus forests into grassland. At this elevation and upward through the pinyons and junipers, the ROCK SQUIRREL makes its burrows in rocky ledges and brushy canyons. CLIFF CHIPMUNKS enliven the oak-pine woodland and higher forests with their quick movements and cheerful chatter.
KANGAROO RATS honeycomb the soil from the cactus forests up to the oak-pine belt. Remaining underground during the day, they are frequently seen at night. These animals do not require free water; they obtain adequate moisture from a chemical process within the body during the digestion of food, which is mostly dry seeds. WOODRATS, famous in song and story as pack rats or trade rats because of their habit of carrying away objects of human use and leaving something else in their place, are found throughout the monument at all elevations. Look for their stick nests among the pads of prickly pear, a favorite food.
Other rodents common in the monument include the CACTUS MOUSE, GRASSHOPPER MOUSE, DEER MOUSE, and VALLEY POCKET GOPHER.
The four species of kangaroo rats found in Saguaro look too much alike to be distinguished in the field.
Mule deer.