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

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

LC – Least Concern

Widespread and abundant; not at risk.

Hispid cotton rat moving through short green grassHispid cotton rat crouched in leaf litter and grassHispid cotton rat feeding low in a lawnAdult hispid cotton rat with young at the edge of vegetationFront 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 42nd most recorded of 95 mammals logged in Nebraska

35 occurrence records
2 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 to December.

35 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)
MonthRecords
January0
February0
March0
April2
May0
June0
July1
August1
September9
October1
November12
December9

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

Seasonality

Year-round in Nebraska, with recorded sightings peaking in November–December, with a smaller rise in September.

Occurrence map

Where Hispid cotton rat has been recorded in Nebraska

35 records mapped · zoom and drag to explore

35 Nebraska records mapped

Where it's recorded in Nebraska

CountyRecords
Harlan County 16
Franklin County 7
Hitchcock County 4
Dundy County 2
Webster County 2
Richardson County 1
Lincoln County 1
Jefferson County 1
Sarpy 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 35 mapped records, 12 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.

Hispid cotton rat in other states

Hispid cotton rat moving through short green grass
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