I just posted an entry which includes a short comment referencing my habits to a packrat. Now, many people naively understand the word “packrat” to be an imaginary rodent which humorously refers to someone who hoards a crap-load of meaningless shit. I mentioned in my post that I’m a packrat because, for example, I keep every book dustcover I take off because I don’t like the look of them. Do I need to dustcovers? No. Might I need them someday? Maybe. Maybe they’ll add to the value of the books when they’re antiques. Maybe they’ll accompany the books when, in six hundred years mine are the only ones left on the planet, they are exhibited at the Smithsonian. I don’t yet know, but just in case. And so, when people use this word “packrat” and follow with a snicker, I always make an attempt to explain that, in fact, these creatures are real. Actually, they inhabit the Arizona desert and my front yard, and furthermore, are protected by the state – a fine of $1800 is issued to anyone who is seen or proven tearing down their unsightly nests.

Donald Hoffmeister from the University of Arizona defines the “packrat” as the following:

Woodrats -- members of the Genus Neotoma -- are large-bodied and long-tailed rats with (in our Arizona forms) relatively well-haired tails. The White-throated Woodrat is found throughout Arizona, while the Mexican Woodrat (N. mexicana) may occur in our general area but is more of a montane species. White-throated Woodrats have a definite association with stands of Cholla and Prickly Pear cacti, which they use to build their nests, cutting the cacti into 3-4"-long pieces and carrying them to the nest site in their mouths. The cacti parts serve both as nest-protectors and as food. The nest consists of two parts -- the house (the collected material, which is mostly above ground) and the nest (which is usually dug partway below ground). There may also be some underground tunnels leading to the nest, which is built of fine grasses or shredded fibers and about 6" in diameter, with an interior cavity about half that size. This serves as a daytime retreat (well shaded from the intense summertime heat) and as a nursery. These woodrats feed mainly on Cholla cacti where these are available, or on Prickly Pear. They may therefore need to drink no free water. This one below has constructed its nest in a pile of fallen saguaro limbs, filling in the gaps with protective materials with a variety of cacti and other plant materials brought from locations nearby.

So there you have it. Packrat.