Kangaroo Rat
Scientific name:" Dipodomys"
"dipodo" is from latin word, dipodo means two feet. "mys" is also from latin word, means mouse.
It is a tiny desert rodent that jumps around like a kangaroo on long and powerful hind legs. kangaroo rats grow only about 38 centimetres long, including a tail of more than 20 centimetres. They have short front legs and large heads. At night, kangaroo rats come out from their burrows and search for food. they have large eyes and can see well in the dark. their silky fur is yellow or brown on the upper parts and white on the underparts. kangaroo rats use their small front feet to stuff food into fur-lined pouches on the outside of their cheeks. they carry the food back to their nests. kangaroo rats, like their relatives the pocket mice, do not need to drink water. they use the water that is produced when food inside them combines with the oxygen that they breathe.
Scientific classification:
- kingdom Animalia
- phylum Chordata
- class Mammalia
- order Rodentia
- Family Heteromyidae
- Genus Dipodomys
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