Heermann's kangaroo rat facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Heermann's kangaroo rat |
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| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Dipodomys
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| Species: |
heermanni
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The Heermann's kangaroo rat (Dipodomys heermanni) is a type of rodent in the Heteromyidae family. These small animals have soft, smooth fur. Their backs are a mix of olive, black, and orange colors. There are 9 different types, or subspecies, of Dipodomys heermanni. Some of these include D.h. arenae, D.h. berkeleyensis, and D.h.morroensis.
This kangaroo rat has a "broad face," which is different from many other kangaroo rat species that have "narrow faces." It also has five toes on each back foot. This small detail helps tell it apart from similar species like the California kangaroo rat and the Fresno kangaroo rat. The Heermann's kangaroo rat is also smaller than the Giant kangaroo rat and the Big-eared kangaroo rat.
Heermann's kangaroo rats are usually about 25 to 31 centimeters (10 to 12 inches) long, including their tail. Their tail alone is about 16 to 20 centimeters (6 to 8 inches) long. Their back feet measure about 3.8 to 4.6 centimeters (1.5 to 1.8 inches), and their ears are about 1 to 1.7 centimeters (0.4 to 0.7 inches) long. Interestingly, male and female Heermann's kangaroo rats can be different sizes.
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Where Heermann's Kangaroo Rats Live
The Heermann's kangaroo rat lives only in California, United States. This means it is endemic to California. Their home area stretches from Lake Tahoe in the north down to Point Conception in Santa Barbara County. It goes from the Sierra Nevada mountains in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west. They can live in many different places, but they do not live higher than about 914 meters (3,000 feet) above sea level. Even though their home range is small, the Heermann's kangaroo rat is not considered to be in danger by the IUCN. However, one type, D.h. morroensis, is listed as endangered by the USFWS.
Their Home Territory and Numbers
How Big is Their Home Territory?
Heermann's kangaroo rats create many connected paths on the ground. This makes it hard to figure out how big one single rat's home area is. Because of this, the estimated sizes of their home territories can change a lot. In one study, more than half of the rats caught again were found within 30.5 meters (100 feet) of where they were first caught. Their home territories can be very different from each other. They can have different amounts of plants. Most often, they live on coastal plains or ridges where the soil is not very deep.
How Many Live Together?
The number of Heermann's kangaroo rats in an area goes up and down a lot. There can be anywhere from 2 to 30 kangaroo rats per hectare (about 1 to 12 per acre). It is not clear if rats moving away from an area causes these big changes in numbers. Usually, only the bigger rats move away. Female rats tend to move away more often than males.
What They Do and How They Live
How They Live in Nature
Heermann's kangaroo rats are animals that dig burrows. They often use tunnels already made by other digging animals, like ground squirrels. How much they dig depends on the type of soil. In areas with fine, deep soil, their tunnels can be about 10.7 meters (35 feet) long and go up to 51 centimeters (20 inches) deep. In shallow, rocky soils, the tunnels are shorter, about 3.3 meters (11 feet) long, and only go about 19.4 centimeters (7.6 inches) deep. They also have one to four escape tunnels besides the main entrance.
Heermann's kangaroo rats mostly eat seeds, which give them a lot of energy. They also eat plants, especially in winter and spring. In the wild, they have been seen catching insects at night, such as moths, beetles, and grasshoppers. They use most of the plants near their burrows for food. They get the water they need from seeds and from dew on plants. They will only drink from a puddle or water source if they haven't had enough water for several weeks. If their dry food increases and the air is less humid, the rats become much less active each day.
They have some predators, like rattlesnakes, gopher snakes, owls, and other birds of prey. Coyotes, foxes, weasels, skunks, and house cats also hunt them. However, predators do not seem to greatly affect how many kangaroo rats there are.
How They Act
The Heermann's kangaroo rat does not hibernate. Instead, it stays active more or less throughout the year, depending on the time of day. It lives in its burrow for most of the day, sometimes up to 23 hours a day. It usually only comes out at night. Rain, fog, and a bright full moon often stop them from leaving their burrow.
They live alone. However, experiments have shown that being around other rats does change their behavior. They can form some general social connections. How social they are is measured by how willing they are to interact with others. Kangaroo rats show if they want to interact by drumming their feet. More foot drumming means they do not want to socialize, and no foot drumming means they are willing to socialize. They have been seen competing with other species of animals. However, competition between Heermann's kangaroo rats has not been directly seen.
They have been seen taking dust baths after looking for food. This is when they lie on their bellies with their back legs stretched out. Sometimes they keep their front or back legs straight. This behavior is thought to help remove oil and moisture, keeping their fur dry and smooth.
They mostly move by walking on two legs, with occasional hops that are usually about 15 centimeters (6 inches) long. When they move slowly, they usually walk on all four feet. When they move faster, they can jump and even bounce around. When running very fast, their hops can be from 61 to 76 centimeters (24 to 30 inches) long. Their tail helps them keep their balance.
Life Cycle and Reproduction
Heermann's kangaroo rats have a long breeding season, usually from February to October. They breed most actively in April, and this activity goes down in July.
When they are born, the young rats are bright pink, wrinkled, and have no hair, except for colorless whiskers. Their eyes are closed, and their body temperature changes with the outside temperature. Within 22 hours of birth, hair starts to grow and get its adult color, starting at the head and reaching the feet by day 7. Before day 9, it is not possible to tell if they are male or female. They stop drinking milk around day 25. Young rats start finding their own food by 4 weeks old.
See also
In Spanish: Dipodomys heermanni para niños
