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Desert kangaroo rat - DIPODOMYS DESERTI
Class: Animals with Milk Glands (Mammalia)
The Name "Rat": "Rat" comes from the Old English word
"raet," for the animal.
Location: Southwestern United States and extreme northwestern Mexico.
Habitat: Desert.
Description: The coat is pale yellow and it differs from most other members of this genus in having a white-tipped tail. The hind legs are much longer than the front limbs, thus enabling it to make impressive bounds. The hind feet have 4 toes. There are cheek pouches at the sides of the mouth. Its body is about six inches long, and the tail adds another 8 or 9 inches to that. It weighs about five ounces.
Behavior: Kangaroo rats are typically nocturnal, lead a solitary existence, and dig burrows and storage chambers in the ground. They feed primarily on the small seeds of many desert plants. Its water requirements are met chiefly by eating plants that contain water and by conserving metabolic water produced by oxidation of carbohydrates.
Reproduction: Mating takes place in February through June, and after a gestation period of about 30 days the female gives birth to 2 to 5 young, which nurse for a few weeks. There are two or more litters each year.
Go to the Rodents Page to learn more about all the gnawing animals.
Or go to the Rat Index to study other
rats.
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