Sigmodon hispidus (Rodentia: Cricetidae)

Sigmodon hispidus Say and Ord, 1825, the Hispid Cotton Rat, is a sigmodontine rodent with small ears, black eyes and feet, dense brownish-black pelage with bands of yellow just below the black tips, gray hairs on the ventrum, and a tail about 40% of total length. This account is an update of Mammalian Species 158 on the subject species by Guy N. Cameron and Stephen R. Spencer (1981), incorporating more than 160 new references, most since 1981. Sigmodon hispidus, 1 of 4 species in this Neotropical genus in the United States, has an expanding distribution, especially in the central states, and populations in 3 locations in northern Mexico. Sigmodon hispidus is classified as “Least Concern” (LC) on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List.