The Fresno Kangaroo Rat by Sara Grunwald

The Fresno Kangaroo Rat

Sara Grunwald

Description and Ecology

The Fresno Kangaroo Rat (Dipodomys Nitratoides Exilis) is a sub-species of the San Joaquin Kangaroo Rat (Dipodomys merriami), a small rodent adapted for survival in an arid environment. It is so named for its kangaroo-like hind limbs that allow it to jump up to six feet at a time. It also has a long, tufted tail, a shortened neck, and a large head. Its large eyes and small, rounded ears help it to maneuver at night, since it is a nocturnal forager. It mostly consumes seeds, grasses, and wild oats. Like a kangaroo, the kangaroo rats have pouches, but theirs are fur-lined and in their cheeks, to collect and carry seeds. The Fresno kangaroo rat differs from other types of kangaroo rats by having only four toes on its hind feet, instead of five. It is also the smallest of the species, measuring around nine inches.

Geographic and Population Changes

The kangaroo rat is found in the deserts of California, and the Fresno kangaroo rat was once found near Fresno, California, and in the surrounding counties of Kings, Madera, Mariposa, Merced, Stanislaus, and Tulare.  However, according to a 2010 survey, over 80 percent of the suitable habitat for Fresno kangaroo rats has been lost to agriculture and development. Unfortunately, one of the only places a kangaroo rat population has been found in this area in recent years is at the Lemoore Naval Air Station, the historic southern boundary for the Fresno kangaroo rat.

Listing Date and Type of Listing

On September 30, 1998, the Fresno Kangaroo Rat was listed as an endangered species under the Endangered Species Act. In February 2010, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service evaluated its status, and found it to be still endangered, and perhaps even worse off than it had been in 1998.

Cause of listing and Main threats to its continued existence

The Fresno Kangaroo Rat is threatened by degradation to its habitat mostly through conversion of existing habitat to agriculture, as well as water banking projects and development. It is also threatened by the buildup of inedible and inhospitable vegetation and thatch on preserved lands. The livable spaces left are fragmented and isolated, which diminishes the size and quality of available habitat. Other threats are the illegal use of rodenticides, the prolonged drought, competition with other sub-species of kangaroo rats, and disease and predation, any of which could eliminate small, isolated populations.

Description of Recovery Plan

To help save the Fresno Kangaroo Rat, we must complete the following:

1.       Locate and identify isolated populations

2.       Determine the size of the population, and, if under-populated, consider captive breeding as a recovery option

3.       Protect their current habitats, and restore additional habitats

4.       De-fragment patches of habitat as much as possible

5.       Manage habitat as needed


Works Cited

http://www.cvw14.navy.mil/sponsorship.htm

http://ecos.fws.gov/docs/five_year_review/doc3214.pdf

http://ecos.fws.gov/docs/recovery_plan/980930a.pdf

http://ecos.fws.gov/speciesProfile/profile/speciesProfile?spcode=A08O

http://www.asktheexterminator.com/rats/Kangaroo_Rats_printer.shtml

http://esrp.csustan.edu/speciesprofiles/profile.php?sp=dinie
http://www.flashreport.org/blog/2009/12/14/pacific-legal-foundation-vs-the-u-s-govt-love-affair-with-the-kangaroo-rat/