Tawny-bellied cotton rat is a grassland specialist of Arizona’s southeastern plains, at the northwestern edge of a range centered on Mexico’s high grasslands. Its bottom-third record fits a species living at the margin of suitable habitat in the state.
October carries the bulk of the year’s sightings, 11 of the total, likely reflecting a concentrated fall trapping survey rather than a true autumn population spike; the sparse record in other months says more about survey timing than about the cotton rat’s real activity pattern.
Full species profile
