In one video, a snake appears to bite down on the
kangaroo rat's furry body, but a swift kick to the head dislodges its fangs allowing the tiny martial artist to flee.
He said: "Both rattlesnakes and
kangaroo rats are extreme athletes, with their maximum performance occurring during these interactions.
The topography within the range of the giant
kangaroo rat is complex with the remaining populations separated by unsuitable habitat that can limit dispersal (Loew et al, 2005).
The
kangaroo rat generally occupies sparsely vegetated grasslands and shrublands where bare ground is common during much of the year.
Not only do
kangaroo rats have to worry about eating--they have to worry about not being eaten.
Stable and persistent basolateral AQP2 expression also occurs in the principal cells of the inner medullary collecting duct of
kangaroo rat. The AQP2 expression ratio of the basolateral:apical membrane was determined at increasing 1000-[Mu]m intervals beginning from the outer medullaryinner medullary border and continuing to the tip of the papilla (Espineira and Pannabecker, 2014).
Estimating population size in the banner-tailed
kangaroo rat. Southwestern Naturalist.
All seeds have a certain amount of free water, and
kangaroo rats have adapted to preserve as much of this water as possible, says Yar Petryszyn.
For example, the impacts on nutrient cycling processes because of the influence of pocket gophers (Thomomys bottae) (Mooney and Hobbs 1994),
kangaroo rats (Dipodomys spectabilis) (Chew and Whitford 1992; Guo 1996), and prairie dogs (Cynomus ludovicianus) have all been measured (Carlson and White 1988).
He believes future life will also include fish that can fly and snails that can hop across the desert like a
kangaroo rat.
* San Bernardino
kangaroo rat (Dipodomys merriami parvus) a small hopping mammal in southern California, on April 23; and
My favourite was the cutesy
Kangaroo Rat whose "cheeks can expand to take a large amount of seed." A valuable skill when you don't know where your next nosh is coming from.