Dipodomys deserti, Stephens, 1887
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publication ID |
https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.6611160 |
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DOI |
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10845506 |
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persistent identifier |
https://treatment.plazi.org/id/3C3D87A6-8752-B10B-1EEF-5E59FF7FF644 |
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treatment provided by |
Carolina |
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scientific name |
Dipodomys deserti |
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47. View Plate 11: Heteromyidae
Desert Kangaroo Rat
French: Rat-kangourou du désert / German: Wiisten-Kéngururatte / Spanish: Rata canguro de desierto
Taxonomy. Dipodomys desert: Stephens, 1887 View in CoL ,
“Mojave River, Cal.,” San Bernardino Co., California, USA. Restricted by E. R. Hall in 1981 to “3 to 4 mi [5-7 km] from, and opposite, Hesperia.”
Based on molecular sequence analyses, D. deserti is alone in a clade that is basal to all other kangaroo rats and is estimated to have diverged from the other kangaroo rats 11-4 million years ago. Four subspecies recognized.
Subspecies and Distribution. D.d.desertiStephens,1887—SWUSAandNWMexico(fromWC&SNevadaandSEUtah,throughECandSECaliforniaandWArizona,toNEBajaCaliforniaandNWSonora).
D.d.aquilusNader,1965—SWUSA(NECaliforniaandadjacentNWNevada).
D.d.arizonaeHuey,1955—SWUSA(SCArizona).
D. d. sonoriensis Goldman, 1923 — NW Mexico (coastal plain of W Sonora). View Figure
Descriptive notes. Head-body 134-155 mm, tail mean 201 mm (males) and 195 mm (females), ear 12-15 mm, hindfoot 50-58 mm; weight 91-148 g (males) and 83-141 g (females). Male Desert Kangaroo Rats are slightly larger than females. Tail is c.143% of head-body length. This is one of the largest kangaroo rats with large hindfeet, four toes on hindfeet,flat skull, and greatly inflated auditory bullae. As opposed to all other kangaroo rats, mastoids of the Desert Kangaroo Rat meet immediately behind parietals, so that interparietal is usually absent in adults, and supraoccipital is compressed to a barely visible spicule (1 mm or less). Upper parts are pale brown to grayish;tail is bicolored, but ventral tail stripe is lacking or poorly defined, with large white tail-tuft lacking bordering dark-colored band of hairs. Chromosomal complement has 2n = 62-64 and FN = 108-110. The Desert Kangaroo Rat is easily distinguished from other species of kangaroo rats byits large size, light coloration, absence offifth (vestigial) toe on hindfoot, and usual absence of darker ventral stripe on tail.
Habitat. Sand dune habitat at elevations of 60-1710 m in North America’s lowest, hottest, and most arid regions from the head of the Gulf of California and along the lower Colorado River drainage, through the Mojave Desert and along low-elevation western edge of the Great Basin Desert. In the Mojave Desert, Desert Kangaroo Rats inhabit open sand and sand dune habitat, sparsely vegetated with creosote bush ( Larrea tridentata, Zygophyllaceae ), big galleta grass ( Hilaria rigida, Poaceae ), ocotillo ( Fouquieria splendens, Fouquieriaceae ), bursage (Franseria, Asteraceae ), cholla ( Opuntia , Cactaceae ), and yucca ( Yucca , Asparagaceae ). In the Great Basin Desert, vegetation is dominated by greasewood ( Sarcobatus vermiculatus, Sarcobataceae ), four-wing saltbush ( Atriplex canescens, Amaranthaceae ), and sagebrush ( Artemisia , Asteraceae ). In some areas of the Great Basin, natural shifts in vegetation have led to replacement of rodent communities that include kangaroo mice ( Microdipodops ) by communities that include the Desert Kangaroo Rat, and vice versa. Burrows of the Desert Kangaroo Rat are located in lumpy, uneven mounds 3-9 m across in open spaces, away from rapidly shifting dunes, and usually under vegetation. Burrow systems are 0-3-1-2 m deep, with numerous chambers in which seeds are stored and a spherical nest chamber. A wide variety of rodents are found together with the Desert Kangaroo Rat across its distribution, including ten other heteromyid rodents: four silky pocket mice, one coarse-haired pocket mouse, both species of kangaroo mice, and four other kangaroo rats. Desert Kangaroo Rats share active burrows with Round-tailed Ground Squirrels (Xerospermophilus tereticaudus) and Desert Cottontails (Sylvilagus audubonii), but they are highly intolerant of their own species.
Food and Feeding. Diet of the Desert Kangaroo Rat contains seeds of forbs, grasses, and shrubs, including creosote bush, sagebrush, saltbush, and mesquite ( Prosopis , Fabaceae ), dried plants from previous years, and blossoms and stems of penstemon ( Penstemon , Plantaginaceae ) and onyxflower ( Achyronychia cooperi, Caryophyllaceae ). In one experiment, bags containing 13 kinds of seeds were partially buried between two mounds of the Desert Kangaroo Rat. In two nights, two kangaroo rats, and presumably only two, carried away more than 10 kg of seeds, apparently into their burrows. They selected seeds highest in carbohydrates and could detect bags of seeds buried up to 20 cm deep.
Breeding. Breeding season of the Desert Kangaroo Rat occurs in January-July, with a peak in February, and reproductive success closely follows success of winter annuals. Average litter sizes are 3—4 young.
Activity patterns. The Desert Kangaroo Rat is most active outside of its burrow at night, but it is often out during the day, kicking sand out of burrow, plugging or opening the burrow, and digging new tunnels. It is active year-round. During nocturnal foraging, individuals may harvest large amounts of seeds. Burrow opening is sometimes plugged with sand during the daytime. Experiments indicate that Desert Kangaroo Rats are excellent swimmers.
Movements, Home range and Social organization. The Desert Kangaroo Rat uses foot drumming more than any other kangaroo rat. Young begin to stamp their feet when just 30 days old and communicate this way throughout their lives. In captivity, young have soft, squeaky voices and cry like newborn puppies. Densities are typically 0-2-1-4 ind/ha, but abundance varies considerably at the same locality throughout the year and from year to year. Mounds of Desert Kangaroo Rats appear to be arranged in widely spaced colonies in clusters of 6-12 burrow systems. Colonies appear to be abandoned from time to time, perhaps as local food resources are depleted. Well-worn, straight-line trails often extend from burrow openings, deviating only to go around a bush.
Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. High-use areas of recreational vehicles threaten populations of Desert Kangaroo Rats.
Bibliography. Alexander & Riddle (2005), Best (1993a, 1999c), Best et al. (1989), Ceballos & Oliva (2005), Eisenberg (1963, 1993), Hafner et al. (2007), Hall (1981), Hoffmeister (1986), Ingles (1954), Jones (1993), Linzey, Timm, Alvarez-Castaneda, Castro-Arellano & Lacher (2008a), Nader (1978), Patton & Rogers (1993), Williams et al. (1993).
No known copyright restrictions apply. See Agosti, D., Egloff, W., 2009. Taxonomic information exchange and copyright: the Plazi approach. BMC Research Notes 2009, 2:53 for further explanation.
