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Kangaroo rats, genus Dipodomys, are small rodents native to North America. The common name derives from their bipedal form: as they hop in a manner similar to the much larger kangaroo, although they are not related. It has been noted that they are not properly characterized as "rats" at all, and that the negative popular stigmatization of rats is incorrect and counterproductive when it relates to public policy discussion of this important class of mammal species.

Contents

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* 1 Speciation

* 2 Location and habitat

* 3 Behavior

* 4 Anatomy

* 5 Taxonomy

* 6 References

* 7 External links

* 8 See also

Speciation

19 species of kangaroo rat are recognized. Their size varies from 10 to 20 cm, with a tail of equal or slightly greater length; the weight can be anywhere between 35 and 180 grams. The most distinctive feature of the kangaroo rats is their very long hind legs.

Like the jerboas of African and Asian deserts and the hopping mice of outback Australia, kangaroo rats have highly developed hind legs, live in deep burrows that shelter them from the worst of the desert heat, and do not lose water unless forced into a diet lacking in carbohydrates.[1] Instead, they have a highly water-efficient metabolism (their kidneys are at least four times more efficient at retaining water and excreting salt than those of humans) and manufacture water through a metabolic process called oxidative phosphorylation. These adaptations have prepared them to live in arid conditions. Despite sharing so many characteristics with jerboas and hopping mice, the three groups are not closely related to one another: the similarities are the result of convergent evolution.

Location and habitat

Kangaroo rats are found in arid and semi-arid areas of Canada, the United States, and Mexico, that retain some grass or other vegetation and thus fall under category xerocole. Their diet includes seeds, leaves, stems, buds, some fruit, and insects....