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Conservation Status:
The Morro Bay kangaroo rat, D. heermanni morroensis, is Critically Endangered; the Berkeley Hills kangaroo rat, D. heermanni berkleyensis, is Vulnerable, and the Merced kangaroo rat, D. heermanni dixoni, is Near Threatened.
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| Also known as the Morro Bay Kangaroo Rat and the Tulare Kangaroo Rat, Heermann's Kangaroo Rats live in many different kinds of habitats in southern California. Although they often take advantage of tunnels dug by ground squirrels, they also dig their own. Burrows can be more than 10 m long and rather labyrinthine, with loops and side branches. Most have areas for dust-bathing nearby, which the animals often use after foraging. An individual may spend only one hour in 24 outside its burrow. These Kangaroo Rats breed from February to October and have litters of 2 or 3 young. They are naked at birth. Fine hairs start to appear when they are three days old, and their eyes open in about two weeks. Weaning begins soon after, and when they are about 40 days old they learn to dig, excavating small pits with their forefeet. When they are 20 weeks old they are full grown, with an adult's coat of fur.
Also known as:
Morro Bay Kangaroo Rat, Tulare Kangaroo Rat
Sexual Dimorphism:
Males are larger than females.
Length:
Average:
300.4 mm males; 295.1 mm females
Range:
250-313 mm
Weight:
Range:
70-80 g
References:
LeConte, J., 1853. Remarks on the genus Dipodomys, p. 224. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, 6:224-225.
Links:
Mammal Species of the World
Click here for The American Society of Mammalogists species account
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Dipodomys heermanni - white-tipped tail
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