The Kangaroo Rat would be described by most people as being cute. They have a plump, dumpy little body with large hind legs, large, dorsally placed eyes, and small rounded ears. Kangaroo Rats are pale in color with light pastel shades of tan, cream and off-white. There is usually a white band of fur that crosses the hips from the base of the tail.
Kangaroo Rats are unique in the animal world because nature has provided them with the ability to survive with very little water and, in the deserts, with no free water at all. They do not store water in their bodies for future use like other animals, yet experiments have shown that their bodies have about the same water content as other animals.
In fact, they have the ability to convert the dry seeds they eat into water, and they neither sweat nor pant like other animals to keep cool. They also have specialized kidneys, which allow them to dispose of waste materials with very little output of water. In addition, they spend their days in their burrows where the air is moist and humid. Consequently, they can survive and be quite comfortable.
No matter how hot and dry it is outside their dens, Kangaroo Rats come out only at night when it is cool and when there is a minimum of evaporation.
Kangaroo Rats are solitary animals with a home range of less than one-half acre; the female's home territory is usually smaller than the males. They live in burrows they dig themselves. The burrows go into the ground at an angle, are 1.5 to 3 inches in diameter and shaped like an inverted U, though flat on the bottom.
Kangaroo Rats are unique in the animal world because nature has provided them with the ability to survive with very little water and, in the deserts, with no free water at all. They do not store water in their bodies for future use like other animals, yet experiments have shown that their bodies have about the same water content as other animals.
In fact, they have the ability to convert the dry seeds they eat into water, and they neither sweat nor pant like other animals to keep cool. They also have specialized kidneys, which allow them to dispose of waste materials with very little output of water. In addition, they spend their days in their burrows where the air is moist and humid. Consequently, they can survive and be quite comfortable.
No matter how hot and dry it is outside their dens, Kangaroo Rats come out only at night when it is cool and when there is a minimum of evaporation.
Kangaroo Rats are solitary animals with a home range of less than one-half acre; the female's home territory is usually smaller than the males. They live in burrows they dig themselves. The burrows go into the ground at an angle, are 1.5 to 3 inches in diameter and shaped like an inverted U, though flat on the bottom.
LINKS
http://www.desertusa.com/aug96/du_krat.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kangaroo_rat
http://www.desertmuseum.org/kids/oz/long-fact-sheets/krat.php
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/mammals/rodent/Kangarooratprintout.shtml
http://www.answersingenesis.org/creation/v26/i3/rats.asp