Unexpected Cotton Rat
Sigmodon inopinatus
Red List assessment
Vulnerableon the IUCN Red List
- EXExtinct
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- CRCritically Endangered
- ENEndangered
- VUVulnerable
- NTNear Threatened
- LCLeast Concern
The IUCN Red List assesses the Unexpected Cotton Rat as Vulnerable.
- Genus
- Sigmodon
- Red List category
- Vulnerable
- Data updated
- August 9, 2026
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The Unexpected Cotton Rat is one of the mammals assessed by the IUCN Red List, so it has a page here — with its scientific name, Sigmodon inopinatus, its conservation category and, where one is known, a recorded observation on the map. What is missing is the rest: habitat, distribution, diet, behaviour, threats and the conservation work under way.
Each profile is researched and checked one species at a time, and there are thousands to go. You can put this one at the front of the queue.
In the meantime, the full assessment is on the IUCN Red List.
Questions about the Unexpected Cotton Rat
Is the Unexpected Cotton Rat endangered?
Yes. The IUCN Red List assesses the Unexpected Cotton Rat as Vulnerable, one of the three threatened categories. The species faces a high risk of extinction in the wild. It is the first of the three threatened categories: numbers are falling, the range is shrinking, or the population is small enough that a single bad event could do lasting damage.
What is the scientific name of the Unexpected Cotton Rat?
The Unexpected Cotton Rat is Sigmodon inopinatus.
Other species in the genus Sigmodon
Sources
Conservation status, range description and population estimate come from the IUCN Red List assessment for Sigmodon inopinatus. Countries are derived from that range description, not from a mapped country list. Last refreshed on .
The distribution map is drawn from the IUCN Red List spatial data compiled in 2017. IUCN SSC Small Mammal Specialist Group