Arkansas mammals

Northwestern Marsh Rice Rat in Arkansas

Oryzomys texensis

Native to Arkansas S5 Secure in Arkansas

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

IUCN Red List status

NE – Not Evaluated

Not yet assessed against IUCN Red List criteria.

Northwestern marsh rice rat on a bare soil bank, unrestrainedAI-generated image: Northwestern marsh rice rat foraging among sedges at dusk. No additional license-safe photograph of this species exists. This image was generated with AI from verified reference material and reviewed by our editorial team for accuracyAI-generated image: Northwestern marsh rice rat grooming on a muddy bank. No additional license-safe photograph of this species exists. This image was generated with AI from verified reference material and reviewed by our editorial team for accuracy
Photo: Rich Sommer · CC BY 4.0Northwestern marsh rice rat on a bare soil bank, unrestrainedAI-generated image No additional license-safe photograph of this species exists. This image was generated with AI from verified reference material and reviewed by our editorial team for accuracyNorthwestern marsh rice rat foraging among sedges at duskAI-generated image No additional license-safe photograph of this species exists. This image was generated with AI from verified reference material and reviewed by our editorial team for accuracyNorthwestern marsh rice rat grooming on a muddy bank

Northwestern Marsh Rice Rat in Arkansas, by the numbers

Occasional in Arkansas 50th most recorded of 78 mammals logged in Arkansas

37 occurrence records
12 with iNaturalist photos
Jun 26, 2024 Last seen in Arkansas

Records from 2000–2026.

When to look for the Northwestern Marsh Rice Rat in Arkansas

Most sightings fall in June to July.

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

Monthly Arkansas records (table)
MonthRecords
January2
February3
March1
April0
May5
June9
July7
August0
September0
October0
November9
December1

Monthly northwestern marsh rice rat occurrence records (iNaturalist and GBIF) in Arkansas, 2000–2026.

Seasonality

Year-round in Arkansas, with recorded sightings peaking in June–July, with a smaller rise in November.

Occurrence map

Where Northwestern Marsh Rice Rat has been recorded in Arkansas

37 records mapped · zoom and drag to explore

37 Arkansas records mapped

Where it's recorded in Arkansas

CountyRecords
Craighead County 14
Sebastian County 9
Crittenden County 5
Greene County 4
Crawford County 1
St. Francis County 1
Hot Spring County 1
Polk County 1
Arkansas County 1

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

Northwestern marsh rice rats carry a NatureServe S5 secure rank in Arkansas despite a global rank that’s still unresolved, GNR, reflecting recent taxonomic splitting of the marsh rice rat complex. The record leans toward GBIF (25 of 37 records), suggesting trapping surveys, not casual sightings, document most of what’s known about this semi-aquatic rodent here.

June and November are tied for the year’s peak at 9 records each, together nearly half the total, with August through October showing zero records, a gap that may track trapping-season timing more than any true seasonal shift in this marsh-dwelling rat’s activity.

Occurrence data from iNaturalist.

Northwestern marsh rice rat on a bare soil bank, unrestrained
Full species profile Northwestern Marsh Rice Rat Oryzomys texensis Size 22.6–30.5 cm8.9–12 in Weight 40–80 g1.4–2.8 oz View the full profile

More mammals in Arkansas 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