New Mexico mammals

Stephen's Woodrat in New Mexico

Neotoma stephensi

Native to New Mexico S4 Apparently Secure in New Mexico

Not listed as nonindigenous in New Mexico by USGS NAS; native to its New Mexico 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.

AI-generated image: Stephen's Woodrat in side profile on rock beside stick nest at night. No public-domain 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: Stephen's Woodrat sitting upright feeding on juniper sprig at night. No public-domain 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: Stephen's Woodrat crossing rocky slope near large stick nest at night. No public-domain photograph of this species exists. This image was generated with AI from verified reference material and reviewed by our editorial team for accuracy
AI-generated image No public-domain photograph of this species exists. This image was generated with AI from verified reference material and reviewed by our editorial team for accuracyStephen's Woodrat in side profile on rock beside stick nest at nightAI-generated image No public-domain photograph of this species exists. This image was generated with AI from verified reference material and reviewed by our editorial team for accuracyStephen's Woodrat sitting upright feeding on juniper sprig at nightAI-generated image No public-domain photograph of this species exists. This image was generated with AI from verified reference material and reviewed by our editorial team for accuracyStephen's Woodrat crossing rocky slope near large stick nest at night

Stephen's Woodrat in New Mexico, by the numbers

Occasional in New Mexico 116th most recorded of 176 mammals logged in New Mexico

162 occurrence records
4 with iNaturalist photos
May 11, 2025 Last seen in New Mexico

Records from 2000–2026.

162 total records count every New Mexico occurrence from GBIF and iNaturalist; the monthly chart covers the 161 records with a full observation date.

When to look for the Stephen's Woodrat in New Mexico

Most sightings fall in October.

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

Monthly New Mexico records (table)
MonthRecords
January7
February4
March6
April4
May16
June21
July20
August6
September16
October37
November17
December7

Monthly stephen's woodrat occurrence records (iNaturalist and GBIF) in New Mexico, 2000–2026.

Seasonality

Year-round in New Mexico, with recorded sightings peaking in October.

Occurrence map

Where Stephen's Woodrat has been recorded in New Mexico

162 records mapped · zoom and drag to explore

162 New Mexico records mapped

Notable places to look

Park, forest, or monumentiNaturalist records
Chaco Culture National Historical Park 3
Cebolla Wilderness Area 2
Gila Wilderness 1

Protected places with the most stephen's woodrat sightings, from the USGS Protected Areas Database plus named mountain ranges, good spots to look, not a full breakdown, so they don't sum to the total.

Where it's recorded in New Mexico

CountyRecords
McKinley County 35
Hidalgo County 27
San Juan County 22
Catron County 21
Grant County 19
Cibola County 16
Sandoval County 9
Sierra County 5
Socorro County 4
Rio Arriba County 4

The complete county distribution, spread across 10 New Mexico counties. Every occurrence record falls in one county, so these sum to the total. Counties from GBIF and US Census boundaries.

Stephens’ woodrat leaves an odd paper trail in New Mexico: of 162 records, only 4 came from iNaturalist, and the rest are older GBIF specimen data. That split says less about the animal’s numbers than about how rarely anyone finds a nocturnal, rock-crevice-dwelling rodent alive to photograph.

Gila National Forest holds the one place-level count on record, fitting the pinyon-juniper woodland and rocky outcrop cover this woodrat depends on for nest sites. City of Rocks State Park and the Gila River corridor mark the wider search area.

Records cluster hardest in October, with smaller bumps in June and July, but with counts this sparse that pattern likely tracks when surveyors were in the field rather than the woodrat’s true activity. NatureServe rates the species S4, Apparently Secure, in New Mexico.

Occurrence data from iNaturalist and GBIF.

AI-generated image: Stephen's Woodrat in side profile on rock beside stick nest at night. No public-domain photograph of this species exists. This image was generated with AI from verified reference material and reviewed by our editorial team for accuracy
Full species profile Stephen's Woodrat Neotoma stephensi Size 17.1 cm6.7 in Weight 125 g4.4 oz Lifespan Up to 10.5 yr View the full profile

More mammals in New Mexico 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
  • USGS Protected Areas Databasepublic domainthe named parks, forests, and refuges behind "notable places to look"