Giant Kangaroo Rat (Dipodomys ingens)

The Giant Kangaroo Rat

The Giant Kangaroo Rat (Dipodomys ingens) is a rodent named because of its tendency to move by jumping on its hind legs. Currently listed as endangered in the state of California, the Giant Kangaroo Rat is in danger because of development and population expansion.

The Giant Kangaroo Rat is located only in southern California. It is often found in valleys where there are open areas of grassland. The rats live in small burrows, usually less than 12 inches (30 cm) long, and the burrows have many separate chambers that the kangaroo rat uses for food storage and nesting. They are active mostly at night, staying and often digging in their burrows during the day. They venture out most often when gathering stores, but can often be seen outside after twilight.

True to its name, the Giant Kangaroo Rat is the largest of its species. It can grow to 12-13 inches long (30-33 cm) and typically weighs 5-6 ounces. The tail is quite long, usually measuring approximately 6-8 inches (15-20 cm). They are covered with brown fur with a white underbelly and darker brown stripes. Their tails are white, tipped with brown, and they have very long hind legs that they use for their jumping means of travel. They also have very large, fur-lined cheek pouches.

 

The Giant Kangaroo Rat is a gatherer. They will often eat green leaves and insects, but most often eat seeds, which they gather and leave to dry on the outside of their burrow. They will pull the top, seed-bearing portion off of grasses and plants and bring it home to cure. They will stock their inner chambers with piles of these seeds, sometimes digging hundreds of holes that are filled with seeds that are then covered with dirt once the seeds dry. Other grasses and plants will also be left to dry before being taken in to the burrow for storage. Like other kangaroo rates, the Giant Kangaroo Rat can get all the moisture that it needs from the foods it eats, so they use these caches of food to survive when the weather conditions are unfavorable.

Kangaroo rats seem to reach sexual maturity at around six months of age. If conditions are good, female rats may have two to three litters a year, with each litter having between three and six young. There are chambers in their burrow set aside for nursing and having young, and the mother will keep her young with her for about 6-8 weeks. At that point, they begin to leave the burrow and explore. In years where the conditions aren’t favorable and there is not enough food to go around, the Giant Kangaroo Rat will not reproduce. If, by chance, the female happens to get pregnant, the offspring will not mate when they reach maturity and will wait until the next year.

Further Information on the Giant Kangaroo Rat:

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Bibliography:
Kangaroo Rat. Encarta Encyclopedia, © 2000.
Giant Kangaroo Rat, eNature.com Accessed on 08/05/04 at http://www.enature.com/fieldguide/showSpeciesSH.asp?curGroupID=5&shapeID=1039&curPageNum=7&recnum=MA0467
Bureau of Land Management. Giant Kangaroo Rat, Accessed on 08/05/04 at http://www.ca.blm.gov/bakersfield/giant_kangaroo_rat.html
CSU Stanislaus. H. Giant Kangaroo Rat., © 2004. Accessed on 08/05/04 at http://esrpweb.csustan.edu/publications/pubhtml.php?doc=sjvrp&file=chapter02H00.html