Bushy-tailed woodrats, also called packrats, are known for hoarding shiny objects, bones, and plant debris into a large stick nest wedged into a rock crevice or cave mouth, a habit that ties them to the rocky terrain scattered across Grand Teton, Medicine Bow, National Elk Refuge, and Yellowstone alike rather than any single habitat type.
Records climb sharply into a July peak, more than 90 times the March low, tracking the height of summer field-survey season and the stretch when this nocturnal rodent’s activity is easiest to confirm through fresh nest material. Only 28 of the state’s 287 records come from iNaturalist photographs, and NatureServe rates the species secure (S5) statewide.
Full species profile
