page_title: Desert woodrat
section_title: Behavior
hierarchical_section_title: Desert woodrat / Behavior
caption_attribution_description: English: Mammals of Joshua Tree National Park: Wood rat (Neotoma lepida) midden
context_page_description: The desert woodrat is a species of pack rat native to desert regions of western North America.
context_section_description: Desert woodrats are primarily nocturnal and are aggressively solitary. They may defend water sources, such as succulent plants, against other species, and perhaps prevent other species from obtaining water during droughts.
  Desert woodrats sometimes appropriate the burrows of ground squirrels or kangaroo rats, and will fortify the entrance with several cubic metres of sticks and joints collected from jumping and teddy-bear chollas. This provides a formidable defense against predators. Living quarters are also often built against rock crevices, at the base of creosote or cactus plants, or in the lower branches of trees. Rock crevices appear preferred where available, but pack rats generally adapt to any situation.
  Woodrats construct houses for nesting, food caching, and predator escape. These can have up to six entrances and eight internal chambers, including both nests and food caches. Houses 36 cm (14 in) high and around 100 cm (39 in) across at the base are not unusual. Nests are constructed of dried vegetation, usually fibrous grass parts or shredded stems.
  Males mark their territory by rubbing themselves on the ground, depositing musky sebum secreted by large sebaceous glands on their abdomen. Females, however, scent mark by first digging, and then rubbing their flanks, legs or cheeks on the excavated soil. They are active year-round.
caption: Wood rat (Neotoma lepida) midden
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