The Desert Kangaroo Rat, Dipodomys deserti, is a rodent

Rodent

Rodentia is an order of mammals also known as rodents, characterised by two continuously growing incisors in the upper and lower jaws which must be kept short by gnawing....

 species in the family Heteromyidae

Heteromyidae

The family of rodents that include kangaroo rats, kangaroo mice and rock pocket mice is the Heteromyidae family. Most heteromyids live in complex burrows within the deserts and grasslands of western North America, though species within the Heteromys and Liomys genera are also found in forests and...

 that is found in desert areas of southwestern North America

North America

North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...

. It is one of the large kangaroo rats, with a total length greater than 12 inches (30cm) and a mass greater than 3.2oz (91g).

Range

The Desert Kangaroo Rat is found in arid parts of southwestern North America

North America

North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...

, including Death Valley

Death Valley

Death Valley is a desert valley located in Eastern California. Situated within the Mojave Desert, it features the lowest, driest, and hottest locations in North America. Badwater, a basin located in Death Valley, is the specific location of the lowest elevation in North America at 282 feet below...

, the Great Basin

Great Basin

The Great Basin is the largest area of contiguous endorheic watersheds in North America and is noted for its arid conditions and Basin and Range topography that varies from the North American low point at Badwater Basin to the highest point of the contiguous United States, less than away at the...

, the Mojave Desert

Mojave Desert

The Mojave Desert occupies a significant portion of southeastern California and smaller parts of central California, southern Nevada, southwestern Utah and northwestern Arizona, in the United States...

, and portions of the Sonoran Desert

Sonoran Desert

The Sonoran Desert is a North American desert which straddles part of the United States-Mexico border and covers large parts of the U.S. states of Arizona and California and the northwest Mexican states of Sonora, Baja California, and Baja California Sur. It is one of the largest and hottest...

.

Habitat

Desert Kangaroo Rats are denizens of desert areas with sandy soil; vegetation is typically sparse and consists of creosote bush, a variety of grasses, and cacti

Cactus

A cactus is a member of the plant family Cactaceae. Their distinctive appearance is a result of adaptations to conserve water in dry and/or hot environments. In most species, the stem has evolved to become photosynthetic and succulent, while the leaves have evolved into spines...

. Desert Kangaroo Rats live in burrow systems under slight mounds of soil 6-9m across; they sleep in a den

Den

Den may refer to:*Den , a part of a house similar to the living room: a den is about the size of a living room, but smaller than a family room*Den , a Ukrainian newspaper*Den , a Pharaoh of Egypt...

, which is sealed off at extreme temperatures, during the day. Groups of 6-12 widely-spaced burrows may constitute a colony of this species, which is otherwise solitary.

Foraging ecology

Seeds are the dominant component of the diet of Desert Kangaroo Rats. The size of the seeds consumed by the species tends to be larger than seeds consumed by other, sympatric heteromyids. When presented with patches with variation in seed sizes and densities—which in combination vary total profitability—Desert Kangaroo Rats tend to choose large-seed patches but reduce parofitability of a set of patches to similar levels. Seed selection also appears correlated with nutritional content, with this species choosing seeds with high carbohydrate content. Although some kangaroo rats will consume green vegetation, Desert Kangaroo Rats do not. Feeding occurs in fits and starts of movement and at relatively discrete locations, with an average distance of ~7m (22ft.) between stops.

Water ecology

Most kangaroo rat

Kangaroo rat

Kangaroo rats, genus Dipodomys, are small rodents native to North America. The common name derives from their bipedal form: as they hop in a manner similar to the much larger kangaroo, although they are not related...

 species live in arid environments

Desert

A desert is a landscape or region that receives an extremely low amount of precipitation, less than enough to support growth of most plants. Most deserts have an average annual precipitation of less than...

 and are known for their ability to make use of metabolic water

Metabolic water

Metabolic water refers to water created inside a living organism through their metabolism, by oxidizing energy-containing substances in their food...

rather than requiring it from the environment. Desert Kangaroo Rats are no exception, in that while they will drink available water, the vast majority of their water requirements are met from byproducts of metabolic processes. Adaptation to very low quantities of water (free or metabolic) is highlighted by the very long water turnoverhttp://www.anaesthesiamcq.com/FluidBook/fl3_1.php times for the species, on the order of 2-3 weeks.

Further Reading

• Patton, J. L. (2005) Family Heteromyidae. pp. 844–858 in Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference. D. E. Wilson and D. M. Reeder eds. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore.