San Gabriel Mountains Heritage Association a California 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation

HIKES AND NATURE WALKS IN THE SAN GABRIELS Walks on the Wild Side, Fall-Winter, 2008-9 December 3, 2008 Hacienda Hills, Coyote Trail 4. Inhabitants and Visitors The woodrat nest built like a haystack of twigs. Photo from Karen. Our local species, the Big-eared Woodrat, Neotoma macrotis, formerly the dusky-footed woodrat, Neotoma fuscipes, is also called pack rat or trade rat. "A peculiar characteristic is that if they find something they want, they will drop what they are currently carrying, for example a piece of cactus, and "trade" it for the new item. They are particularly fond of shiny objects, leading to tales of rats swapping jewelry for a stone." "Pack rat middens, or nests, may preserve the materials incorporated into it up to 40,000 years ago. The middens may be analyzed to reconstruct the environment around the midden when it was built, and comparisons between middens allow a record of vegetative and climate change to be built. Examinations and comparisons of pack rat middens have largely supplanted pollen records as a method of study in the regions where they are available." More information: Neotoma species, Woodrat (also known as "pack rats", "trade rats") The Dusky-Footed Woodrat: Resident of California Oak Woodland Pack rat From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia more about the nests More about its interesting behavior from Animal Diversity Web The Visitors gathering for the trek up the hill. Photo by Graham. Section 1. The Setting Section 2. Associated Shrubbery Section 3. Results of Recent Rains Section 4. Inhabitants and Visitors pages created December 6, 2008 Walks on the Wild Side, Fall-Winter, 2008-9 Back to Index Page The mission of the San Gabriel Mountains Heritage Association is to provide support for environmental education, interpretive and heritage programs on the Angeles National Forest. For how you can help, please call the USFS Mt Baldy Visitor Center at 909 982 2829. In partnership with USDA Forest Service