Morro Bay kangaroo rat

Dipodomys heermanni morroensis Morro Bay Kangaroo Rat
Conservation status
Endangered (ESA)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Subclass:	Eutheria
Order:	Rodentia
Family:	Heteromyidae
Genus:	Dipodomys
Species:	D. heermanni
Subspecies:	D. h. morroensis
Trinomial name
Dipodomys heermanni morroensis

Morro Bay kangaroo rat, Dipodomys heermanni morroensis, is endemic to San Luis Obispo County, California

Description

The Morro Bay kangaroo rat subspecies is unique to Baywood fine sands, a soil type found in Morro Bay, Los Osos, and Montana de Oro State Park on the Central Coast of California. Their burrows enter the ground at an angle. The Morro Bay subspecies is the smallest of all subspecies. The male is measured to be 300.4 mm while the females are about 295.1 mm long.

Their primary food is seeds.

Dipodomys heermanni morroensis have 2 to 3 litters a year. In each litter they have between one and seven pups, but the average amount of pups per litter is two. They are born with no hair, eyes and ears closed, and toothless.

Endangered and missing

The Morro Bay kangaroo rat is federally endangered^[1].

References

1. ^ USFWS (2011). Morro Bay kangaroo rat (Dipodomys heermanni morroensis) - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Species Profile. Downloaded on 19 February 2011 from http://ecos.fws.gov/speciesProfile/profile/speciesProfile.action?spcode=A03X.