Hispid Cotton Rat
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[Photo] This photograph depicts a Cotton Rat (Sigmodon hispidus), whose habitat includes the southeastern United States, and way down into Central and South America. Its body is larger than the deer mouse, Peromyscus maniculatus, and measures about 5 - 7 inches, which includes the head and body; the tail measures an additional 3 - 4 inches. Its hair is longer and coarser than P. maniculatus, and is a grayish-brown color, sometimes grayish-black. The cotton rat prefers overgrown areas with shrubs and tall grasses. Creator: CDC/ James Gathany, 2005

The Hispid Cotton Rat, Sigmodon hispidus, is a rodent species long thought to occur in parts of South America, Central America, and southern North America. However, recent taxonomic revisions, based on mitochondrial DNA sequence data, have split this widely distributed species into three separate species. Carroll et al. (2004) indicate that the southern edge of the S. hispidus distribution is likely near the Rio Grande where it meets the northern distribution of S. toltecus (formerly S. h. toltecus). The range of S. toltecus extends from northern Mexico south into Chiapas where it occurs in sympatry with S. hirsutus (formerly S. h. hirsutus).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hispid_Cotton_Rat

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