Meeting Abstract

P3.23  Wednesday, Jan. 6  Bushy-tailed Woodrats: Making hay the rodent way MORTON, M. L.*; PEREYRA, M. E.; Univ. of Tulsa marty-morton@utulsa.edu

Haying is the cutting, curing, and storing of herbaceous vegetation, and among small mammals this behavior is generally attributed only to pikas (Ochotona spp., Lagomorpha). We found, however, that a rodent, the Bushy-tailed Woodrat (Neotoma cinerea, Rodentia), living near the northernmost limits of its distribution, sometimes engages in fully developed haying behavior. Haying took place only during hours of darkness, as verified by records from trail cameras (Cuddeback Digital with infrared flash). Cuttings of leaves and stems were stacked on bare ground or rocks, usually within a meter or two of the host plant. After drying in the sun for a few days (longer if rain intervened) the dried vegetation was removed, usually within one night, and transported to den sites. Fourteen species of plants, some of them known to be poisonous, were identified within149 examined hay piles. We hypothesize that drying food plants before storage within the dry, cold cliff-face crevices used for dens may reduce perishability by inhibiting microbial decomposition. The drying process may also promote degradation of secondary plant compounds, such as alkaloids, making the vegetation less toxic and more palatable.