Kangaroo rat
| Kangaroo rats Temporal range: Late Pliocene – Recent | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Family: | Heteromyidae |
| Subfamily: | Dipodomyinae |
| Genus: | Dipodomys J. E. Gray, 1841 |
| Type species | |
| Dipodomys phillipsii J. E. Gray, 1841 | |
| Species | |
|
Dipodomys agilis | |
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).
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