A kangaroo rat is neither, but they’re still pretty cool

From Aug. 27, 2006:

We were taking a hike in the desert just before dark one recent night and a small mouse jumped across the path. But it didn’t just jump. It leapt like it had been catapulted. It must have covered 6 feet. What was this thing?

My guess is that it was a kangaroo rat, and if so you were lucky to find it out before it was too dark for you to see it.

Kangaroo rats are very interesting little creatures. They are rodents, but they are not rats or mice. They are heteromyids, a group that includes various species of kangaroo rats and a bunch of different kinds of pocket mice. The one you’re most likely to see around here, if you get to see one at all, is a Merriam’s kangaroo rat.

Kangaroo rats are little things with long tails, large hind legs and very small front legs. They don’t scurry around like mice. They hop, sort of like kangaroos.

And when they need to they can jump as far as 9 feet. That’s something, isn’t it?

They also use those big legs to drum on the ground to warn of danger or to attract a mate. And they use them to kick sand in an attacker’s face.

Also: They don’t drink water. They feed on seeds, especially those with lots of carbohydrates, such as mesquite. They get all the moisture they need from those seeds. And they keep themselves clean with sand baths.

What they don’t eat on the spot, the Merriam’s kangaroo rat buries for later use. This is a good deal for the mesquite because those seeds often sprout and help the plant spread. Some other kinds of kangaroo rats store their seeds in their burrows and plug up the entrances.

Why do they plug up the entrances? Because that increases the humidity in the burrow, which increases the moisture in the seeds.

Kangaroo rats have extremely good hearing because they come equipped with an extra middle ear chamber. One thing I read said they can hear an owl’s wings, which would be a pretty good trick if it’s true.