Amethyst Leeman
Outline
11/20/16
One of the most common parasites that infest the Eastern Woodrat is the Botfly larva. Adult botflies lay their eggs outside the entrance of the Woodrat’s den. The es then attach to the Woodrat’s fur when it runs out of the den in search for food. Once the eggs hatch, the botfly larvae penetrates the skin, getting lodged into the Woodrat’s neck, chest, and inguinal area. The larvae grows, lodged inside the rat’s body, until it is about an 18 millimeter pupae and creates a 15 millimeter in diameter cyst. Even with this enormous pupae, the Woodrat does not seem to show any obvious discomfort. Botflies infest approximately 16% of Eastern Woodrat population.
Raccoon carry an intestinal parasite known as the raccoon roundworm. Raccoon roundworms can be found in the feces of raccoons. Woodrats carry the raccoon feces that are infected with the roundworm to their nests and ingest it. Once the roundworm is transmitted to the Eastern Woodrat, the larva migrates itself to the brain of the Woodrat, resulting in death of the rat.
Eastern Woodrats typically feed off the acorns of oak trees. Gypsy Moth caterpillars affect Eastern Woodrats by eating the oak leaves, resulting in acorns that the Woodrats would eat. The decline of acorns results in the decline of Eastern Woodrat population.
The most commonly known predators of Eastern Woodrats are the great horned owl, the spotted skunk, the long-tailed weasel, the red fox, raccoons, and timber rattlesnakes, along with other various snakes. Woodrats try to avoid predators by being mostly active at night and hiding in their large dens during daylight.
