Nelson's woodrat (''Neotoma nelsoni'') is a species of

rodent Rodents (from Latin , 'to gnaw') are mammals of the order Rodentia (), which are characterized by a single pair of continuously growing incisors in each of the upper and lower jaws. About 40% of all mammal species are rodents. They are na ...

in the family

Cricetidae The Cricetidae are a family of rodents in the large and complex superfamily Muroidea. It includes true hamsters, voles, lemmings, muskrats, and New World rats and mice. At almost 608 species, it is the second-largest family of mammals, and has m ...

. It is endemic to

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

, where it is known only from the eastern slopes of the volcanoes

Orizaba Orizaba () is a city and municipality in the Mexican state of Veracruz. It is located 20 km west of its sister city Córdoba, and is adjacent to Río Blanco and Ixtaczoquitlán, on Federal Highways 180 and 190. The city had a 2005 census ...

and

Cofre de Perote Cofre de Perote, also known by its Nahuatl names Naupa-Tecutépetl (from ''Nāuhpa-Tēuctēpetl'') and Nauhcampatépetl, both meaning something like "Place of Four Mountains" or "Mountain of the Lord of Four Places", is an inactive volcano locat ...

. Due to the small geographic range, isolation, and low population, the Nelson's woodrat has a higher risk for extinction. The distribution and population sizes are small. The population exists in

geographic isolation Allopatric speciation () – also referred to as geographic speciation, vicariant speciation, or its earlier name the dumbbell model – is a mode of speciation that occurs when biological populations become geographically isolated from ...

, which prevents

gene flow In population genetics, gene flow (also known as gene migration or geneflow and allele flow) is the transfer of genetic material from one population to another. If the rate of gene flow is high enough, then two populations will have equivalent a ...

Location

The Nelson's woodrat can only be found on the eastern side of the volcanoes

Pico de Orizaba Pico de Orizaba, also known as Citlaltépetl (from Nahuatl = star, and = mountain), is an inactive stratovolcano, the highest mountain in Mexico and the third highest in North America, after Denali of Alaska in the United States and Mount Loga ...

and

. The estimated area for where this species is located is 1,350 km². This area includes steep slopes, coffee plantations, and a

cloud forest A cloud forest, also called a water forest, primas forest, or tropical montane cloud forest (TMCF), is a generally tropical or subtropical, evergreen, montane, moist forest characterized by a persistent, frequent or seasonal low-level cloud c ...

. * Elevation range: 970–2,770 m * Climate: Humid and warm * Precipitation: Rain throughout all months of the year * Vegetation: Tropical rain forest

Characteristics

* Upper Body ** Cinnamon color ** White throat ** Grayish brown cheeks ** Short and silky hairs ** Nasal is wedge-shaped * Lower Body ** Tail is multicolored and scaly ** Toes are an off-white color

Average measurements

* Total Length: 300 mm * Tail vertebrae: 143 mm * Hindfoot: 30 mm * Ear: 22 mm

Threats

Currently the Nelson's woodrat is threatened by

agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people to ...

and

invasive species An invasive species otherwise known as an alien is an introduced organism that becomes overpopulated and harms its new environment. Although most introduced species are neutral or beneficial with respect to other species, invasive species ad ...

. In

, a conversion to agriculture is taking place which is taking away the home of the Nelson's woodrat. Exotic and invasive species pose a threat to the Nelson's woodrat as potential

predators Predation is a biological interaction where one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation (which usually do not kill the ...

References

* Neotoma Endemic mammals of Mexico Fauna of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt Rodents of North America Critically endangered biota of Mexico Nelson's woodrat Mammals described in 1905 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{Neotoma-stub