Hispid Cotton Rat - Predators

Predators

Hispid cotton rats are preyed on by many birds and reptiles, and by other mammals. In Oklahoma hispid cotton rats were a major prey item in the diet of Swainson's hawks (Buteo swainsoni). In central Missouri hispid cotton rats comprised 19% of prey items in red-tailed hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) nests. Hispid cotton rat remains comprised a substantial portion of short-eared owl (Asio flammeus) pellets in Arkansas. Hispid cotton rats were the third most important prey item of red wolves (Canis rufus) in eastern Texas and Louisiana. In North Carolina, bobcats (Lynx rufus) consumed substantial numbers of hispid cotton rats. Hispid cotton rats were a minor item in the diet of Florida panthers (Felis concolor coryi). In north-central Florida the only direct evidence of predation on hispid cotton rats was the presence of hispid cotton rat remains in a barred owl (Strix varia) pellet. The authors also observed a corn snake (Elaphe guttata guttata) killing a hispid cotton rat just after the rat was released from a trap. The snake apparently had been waiting on the runway where the trap had been set.