Nocturnal Rodents Florissant Fossil Beds is home to many other rodents which are not commonly seen because they are active primarily at night. Deer Mice are the most abundant mammals in the Rockies. The Northern Pocket Gopher feeds mostly on roots and lives almost its entire life underground where may be active both day and night. The Bushy-tailed Woodrat is known for its habit of hoarding objects, particularly shiny ones in a large messy nest of sticks and twigs. The Montane Vole feeds on grasses, seeds, inner bark and insects, but only briefly leaves the protection of its shelter.
Porcupines eat inner bark, leaves, seeds, grasses.
During the day, they sleep in the tops of trees. The Beaver is the largest rodent in North American, with an adult weight of up to 70 pounds. It builds dams of sticks and mud to slow rivers. It has prominent yellowish front teeth which it uses for eating bark and twigs, as well as for dam building. Extra large lungs allow the animal to stay under water fifteen minutes at a time.