Virginia mammals

Allegheny Woodrat in Virginia

Neotoma magister

Native to Virginia S3 Vulnerable in Virginia

Not listed as nonindigenous in Virginia by USGS NAS; native to its Virginia range.

IUCN Red List status

  1. LC
  2. NT
  3. VU
  4. EN
  5. CR
  6. EW
  7. EX

NT – Near Threatened

Close to qualifying as threatened in the near future.

Neotoma magisterAI-generated image: Allegheny woodrat sitting alert on a mossy sandstone ledge. No additional license-safe photograph of this species exists. This image was generated with AI from verified reference material and reviewed by our editorial team for accuracyAI-generated image: Allegheny woodrat close view among jumbled boulders at dusk. No additional license-safe photograph of this species exists. This image was generated with AI from verified reference material and reviewed by our editorial team for accuracy
Photo: Alan Cressler · CC BY-SA 2.0Neotoma magisterAI-generated image No additional license-safe photograph of this species exists. This image was generated with AI from verified reference material and reviewed by our editorial team for accuracyAllegheny woodrat sitting alert on a mossy sandstone ledgeAI-generated image No additional license-safe photograph of this species exists. This image was generated with AI from verified reference material and reviewed by our editorial team for accuracyAllegheny woodrat close view among jumbled boulders at dusk

Allegheny Woodrat in Virginia, by the numbers

Rare in Virginia 73rd most recorded of 105 mammals logged in Virginia

29 occurrence records
9 with iNaturalist photos
Feb 23, 2025 Last seen in Virginia

Records from 2000–2026.

When to look for the Allegheny Woodrat in Virginia

Most sightings fall in June.

29 Virginia occurrence records (iNaturalist and GBIF) by month of year, 2000–2026. Shows when the species is recorded, not a guarantee of presence. Based on a small number of dated records; the seasonal pattern may not be representative.

Monthly Virginia records (table)
MonthRecords
January1
February3
March0
April3
May2
June11
July4
August0
September2
October1
November0
December2

Monthly allegheny woodrat occurrence records (iNaturalist and GBIF) in Virginia, 2000–2026.

Seasonality

Year-round in Virginia, with recorded sightings peaking in June.

Occurrence map

Where Allegheny Woodrat has been recorded in Virginia

29 records mapped · zoom and drag to explore

28 Virginia records mapped

Notable places to look

Park, forest, or monumentiNaturalist records
Shenandoah National Park 10
Jefferson National Forest 4
Mountain Lake Wilderness 1

Protected places with the most allegheny woodrat sightings, from the USGS Protected Areas Database plus named mountain ranges, good spots to look, not a full breakdown, so they don't sum to the total.

Where it's recorded in Virginia

CountyRecords
Page County 9
Giles County 6
Rockbridge County 3
Fairfax County 2
Botetourt County 1
Rappahannock County 1
Madison County 1
Scott County 1
Tazewell County 1
Roanoke County 1
Fauquier County 1
Rockingham County 1
Other localities 1

The complete county distribution, spread across 12 Virginia counties. Every occurrence record falls in one county, so these sum to the total. Counties from GBIF and US Census boundaries.

Virginia reports include Shenandoah National Park. The George Washington and Jefferson National Forests and the Blue Ridge Parkway are other places to look in the state’s Blue Ridge and Appalachian highlands, though a lack of reports does not prove the species is absent.

Sparse observation record in Virginia; presence confirmed but timing of activity not well documented.

Occurrence data from iNaturalist and GBIF.

Neotoma magister
Full species profile Allegheny Woodrat Neotoma magister Size 31–45 cm12.2–17.7 in Weight 357 g12.6 oz Lifespan Up to 9.5 yr View the full profile

More mammals in Virginia in the atlas

Data & sources

The data and visualizations on this page draw on these open sources:

  • GBIFCC-BY 4.0occurrence records behind the range map, elevation, and record counts
  • iNaturalistCC0 / CC-BY / CC-BY-SAobservations, photos, and audio recordings
  • NatureServe ExplorerCC-BYthe state conservation rank
  • IUCN Red Listattributed factthe global conservation status
  • USGS NASpublic domainnative / introduced status
  • Natural Earthpublic domainthe relief basemap
  • USFSpublic domainnational-forest boundaries
  • USGS Protected Areas Databasepublic domainthe named parks, forests, and refuges behind "notable places to look"