Kangaroo Rats - Desert. USAComparisons. The various species of Kangaroo Rats exhibit numerous differences in physical appearance, adaptations and behavior. The San Joaquin Kangaroo Rat (D. It has light yellow to dark brown fur on top, with a white underneath. The long tail has a wide white stripe, and a tufted end. These bipedal mammals hop on 4- toed hind feet, using their tails for balance. Adult Banner- tailed Kangaroo Rats (D. Banner- tailed Kangaroo Rat reproduction occurs year- round. Seeds are collected during seed production months in the spring and fall and transported to underground caches via cheek pouches. Their hind legs and four- toed hind feet are much longer than their forelegs. Males are significantly larger than females. A skin gland located on the back secretes excess oil, which may allow Banner tails to swim better, stay drier, and float higher than other small rodents . The Texas Kangaroo Rat (D. It lives on clay soils supporting sparse, short grasses and small, scattered mesquite bushes. The rare and endangered Giant Kangaroo Rat now occurs only in California’s Carrizo Plain. ![]() Unlike many other Kangaroo Rats, D. It also has a distinctive tail that is dark colored on the top and bottom with white lines on both sides. Fresno Kangaroo Rats (D. ![]() ![]() Their diet consists primarily of seeds, but they may also eat some types of green herbaceous vegetation and insects. Vocalization. Other noises banner tails are known to make are high pitched . Hind feet are larger than front feet. Some species have 4 toes on hind feet, while others have 5. Short forefeet have strong claws for digging burrows. Behavior. Kangaroo Rats are unique in the animal world because nature has provided them with the ability to survive with very little water and, in the deserts, with no free water at all. They do not store water in their bodies for future use like other animals, yet experiments have shown that their bodies have about the same water content as other animals. In fact, they have the ability to convert the dry seeds they eat into water, and they neither sweat nor pant like other animals to keep cool. They also have specialized kidneys, which allow them to dispose of waste materials with very little output of water. In addition, they spend their days in their burrows where the air is moist and humid. Consequently, they can survive and be quite comfortable. No matter how hot and dry it is outside their dens, Kangaroo Rats come out only at night when it is cool and when there is a minimum of evaporation. Kangaroo Rats are solitary animals with a home range of less than one- half acre; the female's home territory is usually smaller than the males. They live in burrows they dig themselves. The burrows go into the ground at an angle, are 1. U, though flat on the bottom. ![]() Habitat. Most Kangaroo Rats occupy sandy to rocky soils in desert locations with little vegetation. Their burrows enter the ground at an angle. Dsome prefer with well- developed grasslands and scattered with heavier to support the bannertails' complex burrow systems. Its status in the wild is good right now. Diet Kangaroo rats eat seeds from a variety of desert grasses as. The life span of a wild kangaroo rat is not very. Stephens’ kangaroo rat. The diet of Stephens’ kangaroo rat is mainly composed of forb seeds. Team WILD, an elite squadron of. Food & Hunting. Kangaroo Rats primary food is seeds - - mesquite, creosote bush, purslane, ocotillo, and grama grass have been found in their cheek pouches. Some species also eat grasses, succulents, other green vegetation and insects. ![]() ![]() ![]() Most Kangaroo Rats gather seeds when they are available and cache (store) them for consumption later. Typically, caches are made in small pits on the surface of the soil, scattered over the home range of the individual. The small caches hold only the contents of two cheek pouches. Breeding. Some species have 2 to 3 litters a year with 1 to 7 offspring, but usually 2 in a litter. At birth, young are toothless, hairless, wrinkled, eyes and ears are closed, and they show the color pattern of adults in shades of pink. Young males grow faster in terms of mass than young females .
As with most animals that have a high reproductive rate, they are short- lived. Some have lived for up to 5 years in captivity. Conservation. The Kangaroo Rat's main defense against animal predation is its agility in leaping. Because they are nearly defenseless against their most efficient natural enemies - - Kit Fox and snakes - - predation takes a heavy toll. While they seem to be able to withstand natural predation, against man they have no defense. Endangered Species: Common Name: Kangaroo Rat, Fresno(Dipodomys nitratoides exilis)Common Name: Kangaroo Rat, giant (Dipodomys ingens)Common Name: Kangaroo Rat, Morro Bay (Dipodomys heermanni morroensis)Common Name: Kangaroo Rat, Stephens' (Dipodomys stephensi)Common Name: Kangaroo Rat, Tipton(Dipodomys nitratoides nitratoides)Common Name: Kangaroo Rat, San Bernardino Merriam's (Dipodomys merriami parvus)Cautions. Some Kangaroo Rats have become a common pest. Some may carry many fleas, which could be passed on to humans. Fleas can be infected with Bubonic Pleague.
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