Where do squirrel rats live? - briefly
Squirrel rats are native to the arid and semi‑arid landscapes of western North America, especially the rocky canyons and desert scrub of California, Nevada, Utah, and neighboring states. They occupy crevices, burrows, and abandoned rodent nests from sea level up to roughly 2,500 m elevation.
Where do squirrel rats live? - in detail
Squirrel rats (family Muridae, genus Sciurotamias) occupy a narrow range of environments across East Asia. Their core distribution includes the mountainous regions of central and southern China, extending into northern Vietnam, Laos, and western Myanmar. Populations are also recorded in parts of the Korean Peninsula and the Japanese islands of Honshu and Shikoku, where suitable habitats exist.
These rodents favor temperate to subtropical forest ecosystems characterized by dense understory and abundant shrub cover. Key habitat features include:
- Mixed broadleaf–coniferous woodlands at elevations between 800 and 2,500 m.
- Areas with ample leaf litter and fallen logs, providing nesting sites and foraging grounds.
- Proximity to water sources such as streams or moist valleys, which sustain the vegetation they rely on.
Within these forests, squirrel rats construct nests in burrows excavated beneath rocks, roots, or fallen debris. The burrows often contain multiple chambers for sleeping, food storage, and raising young. Seasonal movements are limited; individuals generally remain within a home range of 0.3–0.8 ha, shifting only in response to extreme weather or food scarcity.
Agricultural margins and secondary growth forests can support peripheral populations when native vegetation is maintained. However, extensive deforestation, habitat fragmentation, and conversion to intensive cropland reduce viable habitat, confining the species to isolated forest patches.
Overall, the species’ distribution is tightly linked to high‑elevation forested landscapes with rich ground cover and stable microclimates, spanning a contiguous belt across the mountainous terrain of East and Southeast Asia.