California kangaroo rat facts for kids
Quick facts for kids California kangaroo rat |
|
|---|---|
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Dipodomys
|
| Species: |
californicus
|
The California kangaroo rat (Dipodomys californicus) is a small rodent that looks a bit like a tiny kangaroo! It belongs to a family of animals called Heteromyidae. These amazing creatures live in California and Oregon. Sadly, their numbers have been going down. This happened after a big drought in California from 2013 to 2015. The drought damaged their homes, which are usually grassy areas. Some of these areas even turned into desert.
Contents
About the California Kangaroo Rat
How Big Are They?
The California kangaroo rat is about 312 millimeters (or 12 inches) long. That's about the length of a school ruler! A big part of their length, about 195 millimeters, is their tail. Scientists think these rats weigh around 75 grams. This is a normal size for kangaroo rats in California.
Rats living in the northern parts of their home range tend to be bigger. You might find larger ones near Modoc County. The smaller ones usually live further south. These areas include the SF Bay Area and Marin County.
What Do They Look Like?
The California kangaroo rat has a mostly white underside. This includes their feet, belly, and front legs. They also have a small black mark near their ankle. The top part of their body is a dark cinnamon-tan color. This color covers most of their body, except for their face. Their face has darker markings.
These rats shed their fur once a year. This happens around July through November. When they shed, a new, lighter coat grows in. But don't worry, their colors stay the same! Their fur colors generally do not fade or change during their lives.
Where Do They Live?
The California kangaroo rat is found only in western North America. This means they are endemic to this area. You can find them in Northern California and southern Oregon. They live from the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains to Suisun Bay. They also live northwards in the California Coast Ranges up to the foothills of the Cascade Mountains.
In 2020, California kangaroo rats were found in northern Nevada. This was at a high elevation, between 1627 and 1900 meters. This discovery was exciting! It was the farthest east and highest up that this species had ever been seen. Kangaroo Mountain in California was probably named after this very rat!
The IUCN lists the California kangaroo rat as a Least Concern species. This means they are not currently in danger of disappearing. They have a large home area and can be found in many places. These rats are also good at living in tough places. These are often areas where not many people live or build things.
When kangaroo rats do live near towns, they don't cause problems for people. They are different from house mice or common rats. Kangaroo rats do not eat trash or human food waste. They also do not make nests inside people's homes. Plus, they don't carry the same kinds of diseases as common mice or rats. All these things help their populations stay strong.
Family Tree
The Dipodomys californicus was once thought to be a type of Dipodomys heermanni. But scientists found that they are different enough. They have unique features in their chromosomes and body chemistry. Because of these differences, they are now seen as their own separate species.
One special thing about the California kangaroo rat is its tail. It has a white tip with black stripes on the top and bottom. This helps tell them apart from other four-toed kangaroo rats.
