Allegheny woodrat records in Kentucky concentrate in the state’s karst country around Mammoth Cave and Pennyrile Forest, cliff-and-cave habitat this packrat depends on for denning in rock crevices. With only 12 records and a NatureServe rank of S3, Vulnerable, it’s a genuine conservation concern, not just an undercounted species.
Populations of this woodrat have declined across much of its Appalachian range due to a roundworm parasite carried by raccoons that infects and often kills woodrats sharing the same den sites, and the IUCN lists the species Near Threatened globally for the same reason. Reports scatter across the year with no strong single peak, consistent with a small, resident population rather than a seasonal migrant.
Full species profile
