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Dark kangaroo mouse – Microdipodops megacephalus; Pale kangaroo mouse – Microdipodops pallidus; Both species of kangaroo mouse live in sandy desert ecosystems, and forage for seeds and vegetation amongst the scrub brush of their native habitat. The dark kangaroo mouse is also known to feed occasionally on insects and carrion.
The desert kangaroo rat (Dipodomys deserti) is a rodent species in the family Heteromyidae that is found in desert areas of southwestern North America. [2] It is one of the large kangaroo rats, with a total length greater than 12 inches (300 mm) and a mass greater than 3.2 ounces (91 g).
Heteromyidae is a family of rodents consisting of kangaroo rats, kangaroo mice, pocket mice and spiny pocket mice.Most heteromyids live in complex burrows within the deserts and grasslands of western North America, though species within the genus Heteromys are also found in forests and their range extends as far south as northern South America.
Dipodomyinae is the sister group of a Perognathinae-Heteromyinae clade; the two are estimated to have split about 22-24 million years ago.The most recent common ancestor of extant dipodomyines is thought to have lived 15-16 Ma ago, when the two genera split.
A kangaroo rat narrowly escaping an attack by a Mohave rattlesnake. Kangaroo rats are a common prey items for many other desert animals. Typical predators of the Merriam's kangaroo rat include barn owls, great horned owls, coyotes, foxes, badgers, bobcats, and several snake species including sidewinders and glossy snakes.
The desert rat-kangaroo (Caloprymnus campestris), also called the buff-nosed rat-kangaroo, plains rat-kangaroo or oolacunta, [2] is an extinct small hopping marsupial endemic to desert regions of Central Australia.
Dark kangaroo mouse (Microdipodops megacephalus) [15] Desert bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis nelsoni) [16] Desert cottontail (Sylvilagus audubonii) [17] Desert kangaroo rat (Dipodomys deserti) [18] Desert pocket mouse (Chaetodipus penicillatus) [19] Desert woodrat (Neotoma lepida) [20] Dwarf shrew (Sorex nanus) [21] Elk (Cervus canadensis) [22]
The pallid kangaroo mouse is a sand obligate species and has been known to be an indicator of the health of the sand habitats of the Great Basin Desert. [5] Kangaroo mice are considered specialists in ecology, with regards to surviving within extreme desert environments.