woodrats
Bushy-tailed forest rodents
Woodrats are rodents native to North and Central America, known for building large nests of sticks, debris, and found objects.
Also called pack rats, they compulsively collect items and carry them back to their dens—a habit that gave rise to the figurative sense of pack rat for people who hoard possessions.
Active during darkness
- collectingGathering items over time
- hoardingExcessive accumulation of goods
- tradingExchanging for value
- crepuscularRelating to dusk
solitary · territorial · gnawing · scurrying · climbing · curious · thieving · swapping
Historical domestic refuse pile
- twigsThin woody shoots
- sticksSlender wood pieces
- bonesRigid internal support structure
- dungAnimal fecal matter
construction · shelter · insulation · cavity · lodge · den · refuge · materials
To leave behind completely
- chaparralDense, drought-adapted shrubbery
- sagebrushAromatic arid-land shrub
- creosoteCoal-tar distillate for preservation
- yuccaSpiny desert plant
mesa · cliff · rockpile · canyon · scrubland · juniper · pinyon · riparian
nocturnal
Active during darkness
- collectingGathering items over time
- hoardingExcessive accumulation of goods
- tradingExchanging for value
crepuscular · solitary · territorial · gnawing · scurrying · climbing · curious · thieving · swapping · nest-building
midden
Historical domestic refuse pile
dung · construction · shelter · insulation · cavity · lodge · den · refuge · materials · architecture
desert
To leave behind completely
- chaparralDense, drought-adapted shrubbery
- sagebrushAromatic arid-land shrub
- creosoteCoal-tar distillate for preservation
yucca · mesa · cliff · rockpile · canyon · scrubland · juniper · pinyon · riparian · boulder
seeds
Plant embryos in casings
- berriesSmall fleshy fruits
- acornsSeeds of oaks
- vegetationPlant life collectively
leaves · bark · fungi · herbivore · gnawing · caching · diet · feeding · browsing · shoots
mammal
Warm-blooded, milk-producing animal
incisors · pups · reproduction · litter · lifespan · predation · hindfoot · herbivore
woodratshouse mice
Small rodents infesting homes
brown rats · black rats · roof rats · sewer rats · laboratory rats