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have also likely driven down their numbers. Deforestation and fragmentation throughout the eastern U.S. But invasive gypsy moths have damaged many oak forests in recent decades, further reducing the woodrats’ food supply, Feller says.
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With chestnuts gone, the animals then turned to oak acorns, storing them in caches over the winter.
#Massachusetts lost caves series
A series of threats to woodratsīefore the American chestnut blight wiped out most of that species over a century ago, woodrats dined on the trees’ plentiful mast, or fruit. No one is sure why the animals collect human artifacts, but it is most likely due to their curious nature.
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Beyond shredded bark and other organics, these materials can include human objects, such as candy wrappers, fine china, and-in at least one instance, according to Feller-a headless Barbie doll. While woodrats live a mostly solitary existence, defending their territories, many live in colonies in close proximity to one another.Īs member of the pack rat family, Alleghany woodrats are collectors, harvesting natural material for their nests. (Read how Norwegian rats can remember who’s nice to them-and return the favor.) Woodrats are important to their ecosystem because they disperse seeds and provide food for many larger animals, such as bobcats, coyote, owls, and snakes. These animals prefer higher elevations, scampering through caves, cliffs, and rocky outcrops along mountain ridges. Unlike other rodents, it’s not a bountiful breeder females produce an average of two pups a litter, only about two or three times a year. Of the 12 woodrat species in the U.S., the Allegheny is one of the largest and rarest. They’ve long been a part of our eastern forests, and they should be for future generations.” The curious habits of pack rats “Their existence is part of what makes these mountains so special. “Many people may not know these woodrats even exist, but that doesn’t mean they’re not worth saving,” he says. This unified approach has energized woodrat conservation, Feller says, in particular now that state biologists have connected, they can more easily partner together to apply for larger grants. forests have disappeared.)īecause of this uncertainty, and the several states involved, it’s been tough to bring together people working on Alleghany woodrat conservation, Feller says.īut in 2020, the pandemic changed all that: After a regional conference was canceled, mammalogists from 13 states began to meet monthly on Zoom, sharing data and strategies for restoring the rodent’s population. (See a satellite view of how eastern U.S. It’s likely a combination of factors, including the American chestnut blight in the 1900s, which wiped out a primary food source and a fast-spreading parasite, Baylisacaris procyonis, colloquially known as raccoon roundworm. Scientists don’t know why the large-eyed species-which uses its long, sensitive whiskers to navigate through their homes in dark caves and caverns-is disappearing. Over the past three decades he’s trapped hundreds of woodrats, but now he is lucky to catch a dozen in a single year, amounting to what he calls a disturbing trend. Maryland has lost more than 65 percent of its woodrat population since the 1990s, something Feller, of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, has observed firsthand. Pennsylvania has lost 75 percent of its woodrat population in just four decades, and just one population remains in New Jersey and Ohio. Listed as endangered or threatened in much of its range, especially in the north, the species is locally extinct in New York, Connecticut, and Massachusetts. The one-pound, hairy-tailed rat is notable for another reason: its population is in a swift and mysterious decline. When found in a research trap, they’re usually found sitting calmly and quietly, she says, seemingly unperturbed. “They’re so charismatic and easygoing,” says Gretchen Fowles, biologist for New Jersey’s Endangered and Nongame Species Program. The species is innately curious and docile around people, a unique trait not found in most other mammals of the eastern U.S. The Allegheny woodrat, native to the Appalachian Mountains and parts of the Midwest, is not your average rodent. This behavior is remarkable, considering Feller had humanely trapped the animal and tattooed its ear only minutes ago. Then, just as Feller predicted, it pops back up on an outcrop a few feet away, watching us calmly. The brownish-gray animal quickly leaps upon a rock and disappears. it will probably come back and stare at us,” he adds with a shrug. Grantsville, MarylandOn a foggy morning, high in the Allegheny Mountains of western Maryland, ecologist Dan Feller cradles a furry rat in his hands, poised to set it free.