White-throated woodrat records cluster in Utah’s canyon country, Arches National Park, Bears Ears National Monument, and the Book Cliffs, rocky slopes and desert scrub that match the crevices and boulder piles this woodrat uses to anchor its stick-and-cactus houses. Almost all 140 Utah records come from specimen data rather than iNaturalist photos, which tracks with a nocturnal animal that’s far easier to confirm by its distinctive midden than by a direct sighting.
Reports rise through late spring, peak in August, and stay elevated into October, a broader warm-season spread than a single sharp peak, likely reflecting when field surveys reach these remote canyon sites. NatureServe lists the species S3 Vulnerable in Utah, worth noting given how tied its houses are to specific rock features that don’t come back quickly once disturbed.
Full species profile
