Desert woodrat is one of the better-documented small mammals in Arizona’s record, with 405 logged sightings placing it solidly in the common tier statewide. This packrat builds conspicuous stick-and-cactus middens across the state’s lower desert scrub, and those middens make the species easier to confirm than most nocturnal rodents, even when the animal itself stays hidden by day.
Records peak in April and again in July, spring and summer activity windows when packrats are moving and provisioning their middens; even with a strong record count, the pattern reflects when people were out looking, not a true count of animals.
Full species profile
