Dipodomyinae is a subfamily of heteromyid rodents, the kangaroo rats and mice. Dipodomyines, as implied by both their common and scientific names, are

biped Bipedalism is a form of terrestrial locomotion where an organism moves by means of its two rear limbs or legs. An animal or machine that usually moves in a bipedal manner is known as a biped , meaning 'two feet' (from Latin ''bis'' 'double' a ...

al; they also jump exceptionally well. Kangaroo rats and mice are native to

desert A desert is a barren area of landscape where little precipitation occurs and, consequently, living conditions are hostile for plant and animal life. The lack of vegetation exposes the unprotected surface of the ground to denudation. About on ...

and

semidesert A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of semi-ar ...

ecosystems of western North America from southern

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

to central

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

. They are generally

herbivorous A herbivore is an animal anatomically and physiologically adapted to eating plant material, for example foliage or marine algae, for the main component of its diet. As a result of their plant diet, herbivorous animals typically have mouthpart ...

foragers A traditional hunter-gatherer or forager is a human living an ancestrally derived lifestyle in which most or all food is obtained by foraging, that is, by gathering food from local sources, especially edible wild plants but also insects, fungi, ...

, and dig and live in

burrow An Eastern chipmunk at the entrance of its burrow A burrow is a hole or tunnel excavated into the ground by an animal to construct a space suitable for habitation or temporary refuge, or as a byproduct of locomotion. Burrows provide a form of sh ...

Taxonomy

Dipodomyinae is the

sister group In phylogenetics, a sister group or sister taxon, also called an adelphotaxon, comprises the closest relative(s) of another given unit in an evolutionary tree. Definition The expression is most easily illustrated by a cladogram: Taxon A and t ...

of a

Perognathinae Perognathinae is a subfamily of rodents consisting of two genera of pocket mice. Most species live in complex burrows within the deserts and grasslands of western North America, They feed mostly on seeds and other plant parts, which they carr ...

Heteromyinae Heteromyinae is a subfamily of rodents in the family Heteromyidae, commonly known as spiny pocket mice. It contains a single extant genus, ''Heteromys'', as well as the extinct genera ''Diprionomys'' and ''Metaliomys''. ''Heteromys'' was recentl ...

clade A clade (), also known as a monophyletic group or natural group, is a group of organisms that are monophyletic – that is, composed of a common ancestor and all its lineal descendants – on a phylogenetic tree. Rather than the English term, ...

; the two are estimated to have split about 22-24 million years ( Ma) ago. The most recent common ancestor of extant dipodomyines is thought to have lived 15-16 Ma ago, when the two genera split. The most recent common ancestors of extant members of ''Dipodomys'' and ''Microdipodops'' are thought to have lived 10-11 and 7-8 Ma ago, respectively. *Subfamily Dipodomyinae **Genus ''

Dipodomys Kangaroo rats, small mostly nocturnal rodents of genus ''Dipodomys'', are native to arid areas of western North America. The common name derives from their bipedal form. They hop in a manner similar to the much larger kangaroo, but developed thi ...

'' — kangaroo rats *** Agile kangaroo rat, ''Dipodomys agilis'' ***

California kangaroo rat The California kangaroo rat (''Dipodomys californicus'') is a species of rodent in the family Heteromyidae. However, populations are declining, having not fully recovered after the drought in California from 2013 to 2015 destroyed their habitat ( ...

, ''Dipodomys californicus'' ***

Gulf Coast kangaroo rat The Gulf Coast kangaroo rat (''Dipodomys compactus'') is a species of rodent in the family Heteromyidae found in Mexico and the state of Texas in the United States. Its appearance and ecology are very similar to those of its putative sister spec ...

, ''Dipodomys compactus'' ***

Desert kangaroo rat The desert kangaroo rat (''Dipodomys deserti'') is a rodent species in the family Heteromyidae that is found in desert areas of southwestern North America. It is one of the large kangaroo rats, with a total length greater than and a mass greate ...

, ''Dipodomys deserti'' ***

Texas kangaroo rat The Texas kangaroo rat (''Dipodomys elator'') is a rodent of the family Heteromyidae. It is found in Texas and Oklahoma in the United States, where it often lives in association with brush species, like mesquite and lotebush, growing in areas wi ...

, ''Dipodomys elator'' ***

Big-eared kangaroo rat The big-eared kangaroo rat (''Dipodomys elephantinus'') is a kangaroo rat Kangaroo rats, small mostly nocturnal rodents of genus ''Dipodomys'', are native to arid areas of western North America. The common name derives from their bipedal fo ...

, ''Dipodomys elephantinus'' ***

San Quintin kangaroo rat The San Quintin kangaroo rat (''Dipodomys gravipes'') is a species of rodent in the family Heteromyidae. It is endemic to Mexico, where it is known only from western Baja California. Its natural habitat includes arid lowlands with sparse vegetati ...

, ''Dipodomys gravipes'' ***

Heermann's kangaroo rat 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 ...

, ''Dipodomys heermanni'' ***

Giant kangaroo rat The giant kangaroo rat (''Dipodomys ingens'') is an endangered species of heteromyid rodent endemic to California. Description The giant kangaroo rat, is the largest of over 20 species of kangaroo rats, which are small members of the rodent f ...

, ''Dipodomys ingens'' ***

Merriam's kangaroo rat Merriam's kangaroo rat (''Dipodomys merriami'') is a species of rodent in the family Heteromyidae. The species name commemorates Clinton Hart Merriam. It is found in the Upper and Lower Sonoran life zones of the southwestern United States, Baja ...

, ''Dipodomys merriami'' ***

Chisel-toothed kangaroo rat The chisel-toothed kangaroo rat (''Dipodomys microps'') is a species of rodent in the family Heteromyidae. There are 13 sub-species. Saltbush leaves are a major dietary component, requiring specialized physiology to eliminate the salt while reta ...

, ''Dipodomys microps'' *** Nelson's kangaroo rat, ''Dipodomys nelsoni'' ***

Fresno kangaroo rat The Fresno kangaroo rat or San Joaquin kangaroo rat (''Dipodomys nitratoides'') is a species of rodent in the family Heteromyidae. It is endemic to areas within and near the San Joaquin Valley of California in the United States. Habitat destruct ...

, ''Dipodomys nitratoides'' ***

Ord's kangaroo rat Ord's kangaroo rat (''Dipodomys ordii'') is a kangaroo rat native to western North America, specifically the Great Plains and the Great Basin, with its range extending from extreme southern Canada to central Mexico. Ord's kangaroo rat has a fift ...

, ''Dipodomys ordii'' ***

Panamint kangaroo rat The Panamint kangaroo rat (''Dipodomys panamintinus'') is a species of rodent in the family Heteromyidae. It is endemic to the Mojave Desert in eastern California and western Nevada, in the United States. Description The Panamint kangaroo rat ...

, ''Dipodomys panamintinus'' *** Phillips's kangaroo rat, ''Dipodomys phillipsii'' ***

Dulzura kangaroo rat The Dulzura kangaroo rat, or San Diego kangaroo rat (''Dipodomys simulans'') is a species of rodent in the family Heteromyidae. It is found in Baja California, Mexico, and in the Colorado Desert and elsewhere in California in the United States. I ...

, ''Dipodomys simulans'' ***

Banner-tailed kangaroo rat The banner-tailed kangaroo rat (''Dipodomys spectabilis'') is a species of rodent in the family Heteromyidae. It is found in arid environments in the southwestern United States and Mexico where it lives in a burrow by day and forages for seeds an ...

, ''Dipodomys spectabilis'' ***

Stephens's kangaroo rat Stephens's kangaroo rat (''Dipodomys stephensi'') is a species of rodent in the family Heteromyidae. It is endemic to the Southern California region of the United States, primarily in western Riverside County, California, Riverside County. The sp ...

, ''Dipodomys stephensi'' ***

Narrow-faced kangaroo rat The narrow-faced kangaroo rat (''Dipodomys venustus'') is a species of rodent in the family Heteromyidae. It is endemic to California in the United States. Like all other heteromyids, the dental formula Dentition pertains to the development ...

, ''Dipodomys venustus'' **Genus ''

Microdipodops A kangaroo mouse is either one of the two species of jumping mouse (genus ''Microdipodops'') native to the deserts of the southwestern United States, predominantly found in the state of Nevada. The name "kangaroo mouse" refers to the species' ex ...

'' — kangaroo mice ***

Pale kangaroo mouse The pale kangaroo mouse or Soda Spring Valley kangaroo mouse (''Microdipodops pallidus'') is a species of rodent in the family Heteromyidae. It is endemic to California and Nevada in the United States. Description Named for its pale-furred back ...

, ''Microdipodops pallidus'' ***

Dark kangaroo mouse The dark kangaroo mouse (''Microdipodops megacephalus'') is a species of rodent in the family Heteromyidae. It is found in California, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon and Utah in the United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), comm ...

, ''Microdipodops megacephalus''

References

Heteromyidae Taxa named by Paul Gervais Mammal subfamilies {{Heteromyidae-stub