Rats, Mice,and Other Rodents (many species)

Rats and mice were probably the most commonly eaten animals in the region, judging from the bones found at Hinds Cave and other dry caves. These small critters lived everywhere and were easy to capture with snares or a quick flick of the wrist. Among the smaller rodent species identified at Hinds Cave are: ground squirrels (Spermophilus sp. ), rock squirrels (S. variecatus), cotton rats (Sigmodon hispidus), wood rats (Neotoma sp.), several kinds of mice (Peromyscus sp., Perognathus sp., and others) and several species of gophers. Other species have been identified at archeological sites in the eastern Plateau. Larger, water-loving rodents were also eaten and would have provided more meat than their smaller terrestrial cousins. Two examples are the muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus) and the beaver (Castor canadensis).