Kangaroo rat
| Kangaroo rat Temporal range: Late Pliocene – Recent
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|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Family: | Heteromyidae |
| Subfamily: | Dipodomyinae |
| Genus: | J. E. Gray, 1841[1] |
| Type species | |
| Dipodomys phillipsii J. E. Gray, 1841
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| Species | |
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Dipodomys agilis | |
| Synonyms[2] | |
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Kangaroo rats, small mostly nocturnal rodents of genus Dipodomys, are native to arid areas of western North America. The common name derives from their bipedal form. They hop in a manner similar to the much larger kangaroo, but developed this mode of locomotion independently, like several other clades of rodents (e.g., dipodids and hopping mice).
- ^ Gray, J. E. (1841). "A new Genus of Mexican Glirine Mammalia". The Annals and Magazine of Natural History. 7 (46): 521–522.
- ^ "Dipodomys". Catalogue of Life. Species 2000: Leiden, the Netherlands. Retrieved 5 October 2024.