California mammals

Big-eared Woodrat in California

Neotoma macrotis

Native to California SNR Unranked in California

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

IUCN Red List status

LC – Least Concern

Widespread and abundant; not at risk.

Photo: Zack Abbey · CC BY 4.0Neotoma macrotisPhoto: Millie Basden · CC BY 4.0Big-eared Woodrat (Neotoma macrotis)Photo: Bennett Grappone · CC BY 4.0Big-eared Woodrat (Neotoma macrotis)

Photo: Zack Abbey · CC BY 4.0Neotoma macrotisPhoto: Millie Basden · CC BY 4.0Big-eared Woodrat (Neotoma macrotis)Photo: Bennett Grappone · CC BY 4.0Big-eared Woodrat (Neotoma macrotis)

Big-eared Woodrat in California, by the numbers

Common in California 66th most recorded of 241 mammals logged in California

2,666 occurrence records

341 with iNaturalist photos

Records from 2000–2026.

2,666 total records count every California occurrence from GBIF and iNaturalist; the map plots a georeferenced sample of 300; the monthly chart covers the 2,655 records with a full observation date.

When to look for the Big-eared Woodrat in California

Most sightings fall in April to July.

2,655 California occurrence records (iNaturalist and GBIF) by month of year, 2000–2026. Shows when the species is recorded, not a guarantee of presence.

Monthly California records (table)

Month	Records
January	160
February	95
March	188
April	290
May	311
June	350
July	290
August	190
September	148
October	212
November	157
December	264

Monthly big-eared woodrat occurrence records (iNaturalist and GBIF) in California, 2000–2026.

Seasonality

Year-round in California, with recorded sightings peaking in April–July, with a smaller rise in October and December.

Occurrence map

Where Big-eared Woodrat has been recorded in California

300 records mapped · zoom and drag to explore

300 California records mapped

Notable places to look

Park, forest, or monument	iNaturalist records
Hastings Natural History Reserve	76
Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area	54
Cleveland National Forest	37
Ventana Wilderness	31
San Bernardino National Forest	24
San Gabriel Mountains National Monument	23
San Gorgonio Wilderness Area	22
Angeles National Forest	19

Protected places with the most big-eared 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 California

County	Records
San Diego County	460
Monterey County	425
Los Angeles County	294
San Bernardino County	284
Kern County	205
San Luis Obispo County	153
Riverside County	147
Mariposa County	132
Orange County	86
Inyo County	84
Santa Barbara County	83
Ventura County	79
17 other counties	234

The complete county distribution, spread across 29 California counties. Every occurrence record falls in one county, so these sum to the total. Counties from GBIF and US Census boundaries.

Big-eared Woodrat records in California fit chaparral, oak woodland, and rocky slopes.

Reports center on the Coast Ranges and Sierra Nevada foothills rather than California’s open deserts. They show where people have documented the species, and they don’t rank California’s best habitat.

Reports rise most clearly in Apr–May, Dec. That pattern can reflect animal movements, weather, and observer effort, so it isn’t a population count.

Occurrence data from iNaturalist and GBIF.

Full species profile Big-eared Woodrat Neotoma macrotis Size 21.8 cm8.6 in Weight 220 g7.8 oz View the full profile

More mammals in California 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"