Kangaroo rats (Dipodomys spp.) take adorable rodents to a whole new level. K-rats, as they are usually called, have powerful hind legs similar to a kangaroo, hence the name. A long, tufted tail, big head, big eyes, and little ears finish off the k-rat's adorable look. There are 23 species of k-rats, most of which live in the arid to semi-arid western and mid-western U.S.A. Several species are unique to California, and five species from California are endangered.
K-rats live in burrows and are strictly nocturnal. They mostly eat seeds, and they are notorious seed hoarders. K-rats will gather as many seeds as they can in their cheek pouches and create large caches of seeds in their burrows.
Living in such arid environments, the k-rat has one of the most amazing osmoregulation systems among mammals. It is able to survive without drinking water, using only water produced through metabolic processes.
Picture courtesy of:
http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/
Sources:
http://www.bio.davidson.edu/
http://icwdm.org/handbook/
Kangaroo rats (Dipodomys spp.) take adorable rodents to a whole new level. K-rats, as they are usually called, have powerful hind legs similar to a kangaroo, hence the name. A long, tufted tail, big head, big eyes, and little ears finish off the k-rat's adorable look. There are 23 species of k-rats, most of which live in the arid to semi-arid western and mid-western U.S.A. Several species are unique to California, and five species from California are endangered.
K-rats live in burrows and are strictly nocturnal. They mostly eat seeds, and they are notorious seed hoarders. K-rats will gather as many seeds as they can in their cheek pouches and create large caches of seeds in their burrows.
Living in such arid environments, the k-rat has one of the most amazing osmoregulation systems among mammals. It is able to survive without drinking water, using only water produced through metabolic processes.
Picture courtesy of:
http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/
Sources:
http://www.bio.davidson.edu/
http://icwdm.org/handbook/
K-rats live in burrows and are strictly nocturnal. They mostly eat seeds, and they are notorious seed hoarders. K-rats will gather as many seeds as they can in their cheek pouches and create large caches of seeds in their burrows.
Living in such arid environments, the k-rat has one of the most amazing osmoregulation systems among mammals. It is able to survive without drinking water, using only water produced through metabolic processes.
Picture courtesy of:
http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/
Sources:
http://www.bio.davidson.edu/
http://icwdm.org/handbook/
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