Hello and welcome to our behind the scenes special here on Animal Planet. You are about to see a very special sneak preview about one of one of Texas' cutest and most interesting creatures! The Dipodomys elator, also known as the Texas kangaroo rat, is unfortunately considered to be a threatened species since they are becoming more and more rare every year. So sit back and relax as I, Cortney Mullman, take you on a mini TKR (Texas Kangaroo Rat) adventure.
(image source: http://www.desertusa.com/aug96/du_krat.html)
The Texas kangaroo rat is a vertebrate mammal and belongs to the Eukarya domain and the Animalia kingdom. He builds his home in a unique area. The Dipodomys elator builds himself a burrow made out of clay, soil and grass. But not just anywhere will they build their home; the Texas kangaroo rat builds his home at the base of a mesquite tree and uses the roots and foundation of the tree as an entrance in to the burrow. The burrows and mesquite trees are usually found in the mesquite grasslands of north west Texas.
The food that this little guy consumes are very simple types of food such as oats, seeds, grass, and other vegetables and plants. From the seeds, he is able to absorb water which is enough for him to survive. Like many other small species, the food that he gathers is usually in large amounts to store, just in case he can not leave his burrow for days, sometimes weeks, due to the presence of a predator. Their most dangerous predators are snakes, owls, and bob cats.
As you can see from the picture above, the Texas kangaroo rat is a very small mammal but is only considered to be medium sized when measured up to other species of his kind. Tannish-brown is their normal color and they average to be 12 cm in length; which includes his extra long tail that is twice the size of his body.
Bioprospectors would definitely use this animal for experiements and testing for new medicines. Not only do these creatures eat things that could be tested, but also just their habitat alone consists of brushel, grass, trees, and plants to where new discoveries would easily be found.
Although Texas kangaroo rats love hot weather and can survive extremely well in high temperatures, they as species can be affected by global warming in many ways. One of those ways is because of the rising of our Earth's temperature, global warming, many plants can not survive in too hot of weather. If global warming continues, eventually the grass will die along with plants, vegetables, and other organisms. Because these are the things that is on the Texas kangaroo rat's menu, they as a species will no longer be able to eat which will eventually cause them to starve to death.
According to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, The Texas kangaroo rat is listed as "threatened". This is mainly due to the deforestation of the mesquite brush which is where these adorable creatures reside and live.
FUN FACTS of a Texas Kangaroo Rat:
- They are nocturnal and only come out at night so it is dark enough to hide from predators
- Can jump to extremely high heights due to their 5 toes on hind feet
- Love hot temperatures because their bodies do not give off sweat which is why they are mainly found in Texas
- Live up to an average of 3 years
References:
Texas Parks and Wildlife. 2007, April 11. Texas Kangaroo Rat (Dipodomys elator). http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/huntwild/wild/species/kanrat/. Downloaded on July 14, 2008.
The Mammals of Texas. Date unknown. Texas Kangaroo Rat. http://www.nsrl.ttu.edu/tmot1/dipoelat.htm. Downloaded on July 16, 2008.
Wikipedia. 2008. June 20. Dipodomys_elator. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dipodomys_elator. Downloaded on July 15, 2008.
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