Mammals · Rodentia · Cricetidae

Hispid Cotton Rat

Sigmodon hispidus

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

The hispid cotton rat is one of the most abundant rodents in the southern United States, Mexico and Central America. It lives in dense grassland and along field edges, where it opens small runways through the grass and builds nests of plant material. It breeds at an extraordinary rate: females can conceive again on the very day they give birth, and the young are fertile at six weeks. It is the mainstay of the diet of the region's raptors, snakes and small carnivores.

Weight

100 g – 225 g

Size

12 cm – 20 cm

Lifespan

2 years

Diet

Herbivore

Feeds mainly on plants.

Activity

Nocturnal

Active mainly at night.

Social structure

Solitary

Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

GrasslandHerbivore Nocturnal Variable activity Solitary Grassland Mammal

11countries 54parks9same family

Fun facts

Its breeding cycle is among the fastest of any mammal: a female can give birth every month from two months of age, and its populations increase tenfold in a single favourable season.
It is an important laboratory model in research on human respiratory viruses, because it responds to some of them more like people do than mice do.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (mammal)
Habitat & environment: Tall grassland, field margins, roadside verges and herbaceous scrub of southern North America and Central America
Sexual maturity: 40 days
Gestation / incubation: 27 days
Litter / clutch size: 5

Sources consulted: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sigmodon_hispidus