Rat, giant kangaroo

Dipodomys ingens

phylum: Chordata

class: Mammalia

order: Rodentia

family: Heteromyidae

status: Critically endangered, IUCN Endangered, ESA

range: USA (California)

Description and biology

The kangaroo rat, a desert rodent related to the pocket mouse, is so-named because it uses its long legs and tail to leap like a kangaroo. There are about 20 kangaroo rat species, the largest of which is the giant kangaroo rat. This species can have a head and body length of up to 14 inches (36 centimeters) and weigh up to 6 ounces (170 grams). Its tail can measure up to 8 inches (20 centimeters) long. The animal has a mouselike head, large eyes, and cheek pouches in which it stores food. Its body is covered with long, silky fur that is pale brown above and white underneath. Its tail ends in a tuft of black-and-white hair.

The giant kangaroo rat eats seeds, leaves, stems, and buds of young plants. Like other desert animals, the kangaroo rat seldom drinks water, but obtains the moisture it needs from

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the food it eats. It also conserves the water it takes in by foraging only at night.

Giant kangaroo rats live in underground burrows, where they store food for the winter months. The normally solitary male and female kangaroo rats come together only to mate, which may occur at any time during the year. After a gestation (pregnancy) period of about 30 days, a female giant kangaroo rat gives birth to a litter of two to five young.

Habitat and current distribution

The giant kangaroo rat is now restricted to a grassland area of less than 5 square miles (13 square kilometers) between the Carrizo Plain and the city of Taft in southwestern California.

History and conservation measures

The giant kangaroo rat, like all kangaroo rat species, is threatened by habitat destruction due to a growing human population. Its former habitat has been turned into farmland, oil fields, or residential areas. The animal also faces the risks of pesticide poisoning (from overspraying on nearby farms) and attacks by domestic cats.

Conservationists are trying to obtain land in Kern and San Luis Obispo Counties in southwestern California in order to save suitable habitat for the giant kangaroo rat.