Geographic Range
Western and Central Mexico
Habitat
Habitat ranges from dry wooded slopes, tropical deciduous forest, rocky outcrops to dense scrub. Local populations can be very dense.
- Terrestrial Biomes
- savanna or grassland
- forest
- scrub forest
Physical Description
Rat-like in form with a long and narrow head. Upperparts reddish brown to dusky brown. Underparts white to buff. Tail is sparsely haired and ranges from dusky to white. Total body length ranges from 368-445, with tail lengths of 158-206.
- Other Physical Features
- endothermic
- bilateral symmetry
Reproduction
Little is known about the reproductive habits of this species. Females have been reported with 1-2 offspring, and juveniles have been captured at different times in the year.
- Key Reproductive Features
- gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate)
- sexual
Behavior
No information on social systems is available. Nesting appears to occur at the base of trees and under other cover. Calls have been herd at sundown as a series of staccato "chooks."
- Key Behaviors
- motile
Communication and Perception
Food Habits
Has been found to eat coco-oil seeds along with other types of seeds, and possibly also land crabs.
Economic Importance for Humans: Positive
Not known
Economic Importance for Humans: Negative
Not known
Conservation Status
Additional Links
Contributors
Anna Bess Sorin (author), Biology Dept., University of Memphis.
- Nearctic
-
living in the Nearctic biogeographic province, the northern part of the New World. This includes Greenland, the Canadian Arctic islands, and all of the North American as far south as the highlands of central Mexico.
- native range
-
the area in which the animal is naturally found, the region in which it is endemic.
- tropical savanna and grassland
-
A terrestrial biome. Savannas are grasslands with scattered individual trees that do not form a closed canopy. Extensive savannas are found in parts of subtropical and tropical Africa and South America, and in Australia.
- savanna
-
A grassland with scattered trees or scattered clumps of trees, a type of community intermediate between grassland and forest. See also Tropical savanna and grassland biome.
- temperate grassland
-
A terrestrial biome found in temperate latitudes (>23.5° N or S latitude). Vegetation is made up mostly of grasses, the height and species diversity of which depend largely on the amount of moisture available. Fire and grazing are important in the long-term maintenance of grasslands.
- forest
-
forest biomes are dominated by trees, otherwise forest biomes can vary widely in amount of precipitation and seasonality.
- scrub forest
-
scrub forests develop in areas that experience dry seasons.
- endothermic
-
animals that use metabolically generated heat to regulate body temperature independently of ambient temperature. Endothermy is a synapomorphy of the Mammalia, although it may have arisen in a (now extinct) synapsid ancestor; the fossil record does not distinguish these possibilities. Convergent in birds.
- bilateral symmetry
-
having body symmetry such that the animal can be divided in one plane into two mirror-image halves. Animals with bilateral symmetry have dorsal and ventral sides, as well as anterior and posterior ends. Synapomorphy of the Bilateria.
- sexual
-
reproduction that includes combining the genetic contribution of two individuals, a male and a female
- motile
-
having the capacity to move from one place to another.
- tactile
-
uses touch to communicate
- chemical
-
uses smells or other chemicals to communicate
References
Genoways, H.H. and E.C. Birney. 1974. Neotoma alleni. Mammalian Species. No 41. pp1-4. American Society of Mammalogists.