Discussion about this post

User's avatar
CynthiaW's avatar

Interesting question. I think it's good to think, "Everyone seems to agree about this ... but wait!"

Happy Thorsday. Today's special animal friend is Jake, who has made a mess with his food again.

Expand full comment
CynthiaW's avatar

Today's special animal friends are the Kangaroo Rats, twenty species in the genus Dipodomys. They belong to the Heteromyidae family, which live in complex burrow systems throughout the western United States. The most common species in the Arizona Sonora desert is Merriam's kangaroo rat, Dipodomys merriami. They are smaller than most kangaroo rats, with adults averaging 14 inches in length. They are brown or tan on the back, lighter underneath. Merriam's kangaroo rat is a species of Least Concern to IUCN.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hyKWwiefF8

Like lonely city-dwellers, kangaroo rats live mainly solitary lives among their fellows in the burrow systems. Individuals claim and defend underground territories, where they spend their days. They emerge at night to forage for seeds and plant material, which they stash in expandable, fur-lined cheek pouches. The food is stashed in the burrow, where the moisture from the many rodent bodies creates a more humid environment than outside. The seeds and leaves absorb the moisture, and the rats eating them regain the water they have lost.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkJLHnYy_G0

Many predators are after kangaroo rats. These include bobcats, coyotes, foxes, reptiles, birds of prey, and domestic and feral cats and dogs. To avoid predation, many kangaroo rats leave their burrows only when there is no moonlight. Females produce up three litters of four pups per year. Populations of kangaroo rats are stable in most habitats, although a few species are threatened by dams or urban expansion.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEJTvBoGawQ

Expand full comment
80 more comments...

No posts