They have pouches on the outsides of their cheeks that they use for carrying seeds back to their burrows. While kangaroo rats rely mostly on storing large quantities of seeds in tiny pit caches near their burrow entrances, insects have also been shown to constitute as much as half of their diet at certain times of the year. Kangaroo rats do not need to drink water, since they extract the moisture they need from their diet.
THREATS: Threats to the San Bernardino kangaroo rat include continued loss, degradation, and fragmentation of habitat due to sand and gravel mining, flood control projects, and urban development. Three of the largest blocks of remaining habitat for the species are actively mined for sand and gravel.
With continued habitat fragmentation and destruction, today nearly 95 percent of the kangaroo rat's habitat has disappeared. These can include open desert scrub, open grasslands, washes, sandy soils or creosote flats. Kangaroo rats eat seeds from a variety of desert grasses as well as mesquite beans. On occasion, some kangaroo rats will eat green vegetation and some insects. Unfortunately for the kangaroo rat, it has many predators.
There are many creatures out there who would like to make a tasty meal out of this small creature. Owls, snakes, bobcats, foxes, badgers, coyotes, ringtail, and your cat or dog are just a few. Kangaroo rats generally live in underground burrows which they have excavated themselves. Often times the burrow is at the base of a shrub or bush. It spends most of its day underground sleeping, and comes out to feed at night when it is cooler. Depending on the subspecies, kangaroo rats can weigh up to 4.
Their body length can be 3. Kangaroo rats have pouches, but not for carrying their babies. These animals spend most of their active hours modifying their burrows. They can be observed constantly digging new tunnels, opening new entrances as well as plugging entrances. These animals are solitary, socializing only when mating or rearing their young. Each burrow is used by a single individual.
Desert kangaroo rats are highly territorial animals, fiercely driving intruders away from their home range. Spotting an unknown object, they will kick sand at the object to determine if it's alive and to make sure it's not a threat.
This kicking habit allows them to escape traps: they usually kick so much sand onto traps that eventually spring or bury them. Desert kangaroo rats enjoy dust-bathing in the sand. They do this in order to maintain their coat clean and get rid of grease. Desert kangaroo rats are herbivores folivores.
Instead of eating succulent plants, these animals usually use dried plant matter, left from the previous year. Typical types of food include leaves of sage and various seeds such as these of the creosote bush. Although the mating system of this species is unknown, Desert kangaroo rats are thought to be polygynandrous promiscuous , which means that individuals of both sexes mate with multiple mates.
Mating season lasts from early January to early July. Females produce 1 - 2 litters of 1 - 6 young per year, after a gestation period of 29 - 32 days. A newborn baby of Desert kangaroo rat is about 52 mm in length. Young are born naked and with thin, pink, transparent skin. Hence, the mother kicks sand onto her babies in order to dry them. Young are nursed by their mother in a nest. Weaning occurs at 21 days old, by which time young attain their full furring and coloration.
As other related species, Desert kangaroo rats reach sexual maturity at 2 months old. Although there are no notable threats to the overall population of this species, cars and recreational vehicles on dune areas may pose a serious threat to Desert kangaroo rats, found in the area.
According to IUCN, the Desert kangaroo rat is very common and widespread throughout its range but no overall population estimate is available.
The role of Desert kangaroo rats in the local ecosystem is not fully explored. However, these animals are known to be key prey species for numerous predators. In addition, due to caching seeds, they serve as important seed dispersers of their range. Desert Kangaroo Rat. Dipodomys deserti.
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