CHANGES IN CACHE CONTENTS OVER WINTER IN ARTIFICIAL DENS OF THE EASTERN WOODRAT (NEOTOMA-FLORIDANA)

Artificial dens constructed for eastern woodrats (Neotoma floridana) w ere occupied readily by animals, and thus, their caches were available for repeated sampling over winter. Caches contained significantly few er kilocalories in spring than in winter ((X) over bar +/- SE, winter = 6,808.6 +/- 637.08 kcal, spring = 2,556.8 +/- 319.12 kcal). Male and female woodrats using artificial dens did not differ significantly in weight or in the kilocalories available in their caches in winter or spring. Additionally, woodrats did not change significantly in weight from autumn to spring, and the weights of individual woodrats were not correlated with the kilocalories available in their caches. Of the 17 different types of food found in the caches in artificial dens, seven (dicot leaves, Osage-orange seed, honey locust seed, bark on stored t wigs and sticks, herbaceous plant material, red cedar leaves, and gras s) were in five or more of the 12 dens. A few food items, such as Osag e-orange seeds, were cached by all woodrats, but the variety of other items appeared to depend on availability of food sources within foragi ng ranges of individuals.