Joseph Martin, Chapin School
Mercer County
Allegheny Woodrat
What’s up? I’m Josh, the Allegheny Woodrat. I'm a medium sized rodent. My
elders in my family usually range from 31 to 45 centimeters, including a tail ranging from
15 to 21 centimeters. Males usually weigh 357 grams, while females weigh 337 grams. I
can weigh up to a pound, about the size of an Eastern Gray Squirrel. My fur is soft, long
and brownish-gray, kind of like a cinnamon color, while my belly and paws are white.
My whiskers usually are 5 centimeters long and I have 50 on each side.
I prefer to live in rocky outcrops with mountain ranges, such as cliffs, caves, and
even mines, but my relatives have a different idea. This is true in Pennsylvania and
Maryland, but in Virginia and West Virginia my relatives live on slopes and ridges. I like
to eat buds, leaves, stems, fruits, seeds, acorns, and other nuts. I usually eat 5% of my
body weight per day and hide it in caches. I have many enemies, such as owls, skunks,
weasels, foxes, raccoons, bobcats, large snakes, and YOU! At one point I was hunted for
food, too.
I’m nocturnal, which means I’m most active at night. I am also, sadly, endangered
in FOUR STATES! I’m going extinct for a few believed reasons, but no one is positive
what the cause is. The first thought is that my species has a parasite, the raccoon
roundworm, which is fatal to my kind. Another thought is the loss of American
Chestnuts, caused by chestnut blight, which is a fungus.
So please help me! Do some research and do all you can to help. Thank you for
your time and remember, SAVE THE RATS! And don’t hurt me, OR ELSE!
Written By: Joseph Martin
Chaplin School, Princeton
Teacher: Mrs. Vail