Nebraska mammals

Hispid cotton rat in Nebraska

Sigmodon hispidus

Native to Nebraska S5 Secure in Nebraska

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

IUCN Red List status

LC – Least Concern

Widespread and abundant; not at risk.

Photo: Laura Mae · CC BY 4.0Hispid cotton rat moving through short green grassPhoto: Joshua Liverman · CC BY 4.0Hispid cotton rat crouched in leaf litter and grassPhoto: Cody Stricker · CC BY 4.0Hispid cotton rat feeding low in a lawnPhoto: tcantrell52 · CC BY 4.0Adult hispid cotton rat with young at the edge of vegetationPhoto: Terry Woodward · CC BY 4.0Front view of a hispid cotton rat holding food

Photo: Laura Mae · CC BY 4.0Hispid cotton rat moving through short green grassPhoto: Joshua Liverman · CC BY 4.0Hispid cotton rat crouched in leaf litter and grassPhoto: Cody Stricker · CC BY 4.0Hispid cotton rat feeding low in a lawnPhoto: tcantrell52 · CC BY 4.0Adult hispid cotton rat with young at the edge of vegetationPhoto: Terry Woodward · CC BY 4.0Front view of a hispid cotton rat holding food

Hispid cotton rat in Nebraska, by the numbers

Occasional in Nebraska 36th most recorded of 95 mammals logged in Nebraska

48 occurrence records

1 with iNaturalist photos

Nov 30, 2021 Last seen in Nebraska

Records from 2000–2026.

When to look for the Hispid cotton rat in Nebraska

Most sightings fall in November.

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

Monthly Nebraska records (table)

Month	Records
January	0
February	0
March	0
April	2
May	0
June	0
July	1
August	2
September	9
October	1
November	24
December	9

Monthly hispid cotton rat occurrence records (iNaturalist and GBIF) in Nebraska, 2000–2026.

Seasonality

Year-round in Nebraska, with recorded sightings peaking in November.

Occurrence map

Where Hispid cotton rat has been recorded in Nebraska

48 records mapped · zoom and drag to explore

48 Nebraska records mapped

Where it's recorded in Nebraska

County	Records
Harlan County	16
Richardson County	13
Franklin County	7
Hitchcock County	4
Webster County	2
Dundy County	2
Adams County	2
Lincoln County	1
Jefferson County	1

The complete county distribution, spread across 9 Nebraska counties. Every occurrence record falls in one county, so these sum to the total. Counties from GBIF and US Census boundaries.

Of Nebraska’s 48 mapped records, 24 fall in November, while September and December each account for nine; the latest observation in the overlay is from November 30, 2021. Valentine and Crescent Lake national wildlife refuges and the Platte River are the named places to look, and the species carries an S5 (Secure) state rank. The record pattern is not a population count, so it should not be read as abundance or a complete boundary of occurrence.

Full species profile Hispid cotton rat Sigmodon hispidus Size 18.5 cm7.3 in Weight 160 g5.6 oz Lifespan Up to 5.2 yr View the full profile

More mammals in Nebraska 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