The pale kangaroo mouse or Soda Spring Valley kangaroo mouse (''Microdipodops pallidus'') is a species of

rodent Rodents (from Latin , 'to gnaw') are mammals of the Order (biology), 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 roden ...

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 the ...

. It 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 els ...

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 ...

and

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a state in the Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the 7th-most extensive, ...

in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

Description

Named for its pale-furred back and long hind limbs and feet, the pale kangaroo mouse is a large-headed rodent with fur-lined external cheek pouche. This species is bipedal, meaning that it generally moves around on its strong hind legs, hopping much like a

kangaroo Kangaroos are four marsupials from the family Macropodidae (macropods, meaning "large foot"). In common use the term is used to describe the largest species from this family, the red kangaroo, as well as the antilopine kangaroo, eastern ...

.Pale kangaroo mouse videos, photos and facts - ''Microdipodops pallidus''
. ARKive. Retrieved on 2015-09-25. The pallid kangaroo mouse, also called the pale kangaroo mouse, is one of two recognized species of kangaroo mouse, and is considered to be one of the most uncommon species of nocturnal desert dwelling rodent. The coloration of the pallid kangaroo mouse is a pale cinnamon color on the dorsal side with the ventral being covered by a pale whitish colored hair coat.Farrell, Michael J. and Blaustein, Andrew R., Mammalian Species Microdipodops Pallidus Retrieved from http://www.science.smith.edu/resources/msi/pdfs/i0076-3519-047-01-0001.pdf The total length of the species ranges in size from 150mm to 173mm, with a tail length alone of 74mm to 99mm. The hind foot measures in length from 25mm to 27mm, and the weight range is between 10.3g and 16.8g.

Ecology

Habitat

While both the dark and the pallid kangaroo mouse species are desert dwelling, each species have unique habitat associations within the Great Desert Basin in North America where they are found. The pallid kangaroo mouse is found in central Nevada and a limited range in the eastern desert region of California. The pallid kangaroo mouse is a sand obligate species and has been known to be an indicator of the health of the sand habitats of the

Great Basin Desert The Great Basin Desert is part of the Great Basin between the Sierra Nevada and the Wasatch Range. The desert is a geographical region that largely overlaps the Great Basin shrub steppe defined by the World Wildlife Fund, and the Central Basi ...

. Kangaroo mice are considered specialists in ecology, with regards to surviving within extreme desert environments. This allows scientists to assess the health of the ecosystem by studying in which locations the mice are located and which they avoid.

Diet

The pallid kangaroo mouse has a diet that is grain based and have been known to supplement their diet with insects where they derive most of their water needs, as they are not known to consume free water.

Behavior

The desert is an extreme environment with unpredictable food resources. The pallid kangaroo mouse has developed some behavioral adaptations as a way of utilizing food in this environment. Pale kangaroo mice will collect seeds and then cache them in specific locations. They are known to have multiple caches so as to prevent any competing species from stealing their entire food source. In addition to their caching behaviors, kangaroo mice have other behavioral adaptation as a nocturnal desert dwelling species. One study followed the behavior of the kangaroo mice to avoid moonlight. While the reasons behind this behavior are not fully known, it is thought that it is to avoid predation, by risk of moonlight exposure.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q881968 Mammals of the United States Pale Kangaroo Mouse Mammals described in 1901 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot