Home range size of Bushy-tailed Woodrats, Neotoma cinerea, in southwestern Alberta

The home range sizes of Bushy-tailed Woodrats (Neotoma cinerea) in the Canadian Rockies, were measured over a three year period (1992-1994) by means of radio telemetry. Males significantly larger mean home ranges than females (6.12 ha and 3.56 ha respectively), but there were no differences within each sex between years. Home range sizes from this study were >20 times larger than home ranges reported for other species of Neotoma. The proportionately larger home ranges of Bushy-tailed Woodrats may be due to their reliance on fissures within rocky outcrops for den sites.