Giant Kangaroo Rat
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| Dipodomys ingens (Merriam, 1904) |
The Giant Kangaroo Rat (Dipodomys ingens) is an endangered rodent species endemic to California. It is the largest of the kangaroo rats, measuring about 15 cm (6 in.) in length, not including its long, tufted tail. It is buffy or brown in color. Like other kangaroo rats it has a large head and large eyes, and long, strong hind legs with which it can hop at high speeds.
The Giant Kangaroo Rat lives on dry, sandy grasslands and digs burrows in loose soil. It lives in colonies, and the individuals communicate with each other by drumming their feet on the ground. These audible signals serve both as a warning of approaching danger, and as a territorial communication.
This species rarely appears during the day hours, and at night only appears for about 15 minutes during a 1.8 hour period. The only other times it appears are at the end of the growing season of herbacious plants to gather seeds from the fully-grown plants. One of the most common plants it eats is peppergrass. The Giant Kangaroo Rat then stores the seeds in a larder for later eating.
The Giant Kangaroo Rat usually mates between January and May, and gives birth to a litter of 1 to 7 babies, with an average of 3 per litter. It communicates with potential mates by performing what is known as sandbathing, where the Giant Kangaroo Rat rubs its sides in sand, leaving behind a scent to attract mates. They live 2-4 years.
This species was declared endangered on both the federal and California state levels in the 1980's. It inhabits a mere 2% of its original range, and can now be found only in isolated areas west of the San Joaquin Valley, including the Carrizo Plain, the Elkhorn Plain, and the Kettleman Hills. The Giant Kangaroo Rat, like many other rodent species, lost much of its habitat as the Central Valley fell under agricultural use.
[edit] References
- Hafner (2000). Dipodomys ingens. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 11 May 2006. Database entry includes a brief justification of why this species is critically endangered and the criteria used
