Texas Kangaroo Rat

Description

A fairly large, four-toed kangaroo rat with a conspicuous white tuft on the tip of its long tail. It has buff-colored fur and is white underneath. The total length is 317 mm, they weigh about 4.5 ounces. Males are generally larger than females, not different in color though. They live for around 2-5 years max.

Evolution

Their closest living relatives are kangaroo mice and pocket mice, both of which are also heteromyids. Pocket gophers (family Geomyidae) are related to the family Heteromyidae. The kangaroo rat's evolutionary history began during the Late Miocene Epoch (11.2 million to 5.3 million years ago) in North America. Some of the ancestors of the texas kangaroo rat are the Hadrocoidium wiu, Glires, and Eurisian Rattus.

Basic Information

Taxonomy

Kingdom - Animalia

Phylum - Chordate

Class - Mammal

Order - Rodent

Family - Heteromyidae

Genus - Dipodomys

Species - Dipodomys elator

Distribution: The only continent they are found on is the North America, from what I can find there is no evidence that they are at all invasive. Currently it is actually in low population.

Food sources: Texas Kangaroo rats eat seeds, stems and leaves of grasses, forbs and some perennials. Texas Kangaroo rats will forage and collect seeds at night, storing beans and seeds in their cheek pouches. Occasionally the rat will be seen eating small insects, but this is a special sight. They need very little water to survive, but they will store a lot of food, to eat often.

Lifestyle

Habitat: Texas Kangaroo rats live where there is clay soil and sparse short grasses and small scattered mesquite bushes. They occur in North-Central Texas, from Cottle and Motley counties in the west to Montague County in the east. They prefer 95 degree weather, they function well in hot conditions. In North-Central texas there is usually 36.14 inches of rain in 80 days. Other common animals include the bobcat, deer, alligator, coyote, opposums, and other small rodents. Common prey for the texas kangaroo are snakes, coyotes and badgers.

Reproduction: Texas Kangaroo Rats breed year rounds, with peaks early spring and late summer. Mating in the Kangaroo rat consists of the male chasing the female, the male must preform a food drumming before the female allows him to mate. The average litter size is 3 for this animal, there is no information about any unique characteristics or whether or not they are monogamous.

Development: Baby Texas Kangaroo Rats develop very quickly, they become quickly reproductively active by summer, after only being born late spring. They obtain sexual maturity in a matter of 60 days after birth. They only stay in the nest for 21 days, the kangaroo rats go straight from a child to an adult, no inbetween stages. The only prominent difference between males and females is the size, males are always bigger, they also are the chasers of the females.

Social Structure

The Texas Kangaroo Rat is a solitary animal, and each individual animal has it's own burrow and entrances. There is no clear evidence that there is any prominent roles in their community. The rat often relies on itself, so again there is no evidence of a male or female led "group." They interact with each other through chattering their teeth, thumping their feet and vocalizing. This is to warn other kangaroo rats of danger, even if they are independant.

There is no evidence of competition within the species except for the sexual competition I mentioned in the other paragraph. There is also no information regarding intra-species conpeition. Although they will compete over food within their own species, using mid-high ninja kicks to defend themselves. The effect of invasive species is the fact that they are losing their habitats to these other animals. This is damaging to the ecosystem these rodents rely on.

Their IUCN rating is vulnerable, with a population standing at only 100 still being recorded currently. Their population trend is currently steadily declining, due to lack of population.

The effect humans have on this animal is devasting, with forest fires and climate change almost completely wiping out this animal. Their habitat is at huge risk due to humans taking over their environments. The future for these rodents is not looking good, not if the trend of habitat loss and fragmentaiton continues. There is no evidence of how long humans have interacted with Texas Kangaroos Rats, but the measures being done to prevent this are an attempt to make a federally protected habitat for these rodents. This habitat will be unaffected by humans.

Causes of Death

Some causes of death for the Kangaroo rat are high rainfall, this is because of water penetration, burrowing and drowning occupants in their living space. It will also spoil their seeds, and can cause hypothermia and pneumonia. Another reason for the death of this animal is itś predators, this consists of owls, snakes, badgers, bobcats, coyotes, foxes and weasels. Although there is no information on whether or not sexual competition is a cause of death, there is evidence that males will fight over females, due to a dominance hierarchy.

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