The California kangaroo rat (''Dipodomys californicus'') is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

rodent Rodents (from Latin , 'to gnaw') are mammals of the order Rodentia (), which are characterized by a single pair of continuously growing incisors in each of the upper and lower jaws. About 40% of all mammal species are rodents. They are n ...

in the family

Heteromyidae Heteromyidae is a family of rodents consisting of kangaroo rats, kangaroo mice, pocket mice and spiny pocket mice. Most heteromyids live in complex burrows within the deserts and grasslands of western North America, though species within th ...

. However, populations are declining, having not fully recovered after the drought in

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

from 2013 to 2015 destroyed their habitat ( the grasslands) and changed it into desert.

Description

Size The California kangaroo rat is, on average, 312 mm long, with its tail vertebrae comprising 195mm of that total length. Based on its length, experts conclude the weight of the species to be around 75 grams, making its size fairly normal amongst other kangaroo rats in California. The species generally tends to be larger in the northern areas of its distribution (near

Modoc County Modoc County () is a county in the far northeast corner of the U.S. state of California. Its population is 8,700 as of the 2020 census, down from 9,686 from the 2010 census. This makes it California's third-least populous county. The county seat ...

), whereas the smaller animals are often found further south, near the

SF Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, often referred to as simply the Bay Area, is a populous region surrounding the San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun Bay estuaries in Northern California. The Bay Area is defined by the Association of Bay Area Gover ...

and Marin County. Coloration ''Dipodomys californicus'' has an almost all-white underside, including its feet, belly, and forelegs; they also have a dash of black near the ankle. The upper surface of the body tends to be a dark cinnamon-tan shade, extending everywhere but the face, which features darker facial markings. During the molting season for the kangaroo rat (around July through November), the active shedding of the previous year's fur will result in a lighter-textured coat growing anew; the colors remain consistent, however, and the animals' colors generally don't fade or change throughout their lives.

Distribution

The California kangaroo rat is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...

to western North America, found in Northern California and southern

Oregon Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. T ...

. Its distribution is from the Sierra Nevada foothills to Suisun Bay, and northwards in the

California Coast Ranges The Coast Ranges of California span from Del Norte or Humboldt County, California, south to Santa Barbara County. The other three coastal California mountain ranges are the Transverse Ranges, Peninsular Ranges and the Klamath Mountains. P ...

to the foothills of the

Cascade Mountains The Cascade Range or Cascades is a major mountain range of western North America, extending from southern British Columbia through Washington and Oregon to Northern California. It includes both non-volcanic mountains, such as the North Cascades, a ...

. However, as of 2020, the California kangaroo rat has been found in north Nevada, 1627–1900 meters in elevation. Not only does this make suggest the most easterly sighting of the species, but it also marks the highest altitude that the species has ever been found. California's Kangaroo Mountain was likely named after the California kangaroo rat. It is an IUCN listed

Least Concern species A least-concern species is a species that has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as evaluated as not being a focus of species conservation because the specific species is still plentiful in the wild. T ...

, due to the rather large home area and vast range of its distribution. The populations also thrive due to the fact that the kangaroo rat is adapted to thrive in hostile climates, where very few humans (in general) have encroached or developed infrastructure. In the cases of populations where the kangaroo rats do live within or near to human settlements, their ecological niche seems to be far less offensive and intrusive towards people than house mice or common rats, making their survival even more likely; kangaroo rats do not scavenge off of trash, human food or waste and do not nest in human habitations. Likewise they do not carry the same pathogens as common mice or rats, further ensuring a steady population.

Taxonomy

''Dipodomys californicus'' was formerly included as a subspecies of ''

Dipodomys heermanni Heermann's kangaroo rat (''Dipodomys heermanni'') is a species of rodent in the family Heteromyidae. Their long smooth pelage resembles typical kangaroo rats, with their dorsal side showing a mixed range of olive, black and orange colors. There a ...

'', but differs enough in chromosomal and biochemical characteristics to warrant being recognized as a distinct species. One such distinction between ''Dipodomys californicus'' and other four toed species of ''Dipodmys heermanni'' is their unique tail coloration which features a white tip with black stripes on the top and bottom.

References

External links

IUCN Red List: Distribution Map — ''Dipodomys californicus''
Dipodomys Rodents of North America Mammals of the United States Fauna of California Fauna of the Western United States Fauna of the California chaparral and woodlands Fauna of the Sierra Nevada (United States) Natural history of Oregon Natural history of the California Coast Ranges Natural history of the San Francisco Bay Area Mammals described in 1890 Least concern biota of the United States Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{Heteromyidae-stub