San Quintin kangaroo rat
| San Quintin kangaroo rat | ||||||||||||
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| Dipodomys gravipes | ||||||||||||
| Huey , 1925 |
The San Quintin kangaroo rat ( Dipodomys gravipes ) is a species of mammal from the genus of the kangaroo rats ( Dipodomys ) within the rodents (Rodentia). It is endemic to Mexico and can only be found in the northwest of the state of Baja California .
features
The San Quintin kangaroo rat is a relatively large, squat kangaroo rat with small ears, the males being larger than the females and individuals in the southern range slightly larger than those in the northern range. It reaches a total length of 312 mm, a tail length of 168 to 180 mm, a hind foot length of 43 to 44 mm, an ear length of 11 to 16 mm and a weight of 69 g. The underside of the body, the front feet, the tops and the sides of the hind feet are white, the rest of the body is creamy reddish. There are white spots over the eyes and around the ears. The tail is thick and moderately long, the tip of the tail black. A white, very narrow tail stripe runs almost to the tip of the tail and disappears there in the long, dark hair of the tassel. The long hind feet have five toes.
distribution
The species occurs in a 1000 square kilometers long coastal strip between San Quintín (Baja California) and El Rosario (Baja California) .
Habitat and way of life
The San Quintin kangaroo rat occurs on cactus-covered slopes and the adjacent areas with short vegetation, the southern populations in floodplains and relatively flat terrain, which is bordered by table mountains and hills. Little is known about the way of life. The burrows are up to 50 cm deep, openings are not created under vegetation. The San Quintin kangaroo rat is nocturnal, the young are mainly born in winter and spring.
Hazard and protection
The species is endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN), it was classified as possibly extinct until 2018 (Critically Endangered CR, Possibly Extinct). Despite thorough surveys, no specimen had been registered since 1986. Agriculture has completely destroyed their habitat in the past 20 years. Four specimens were caught in live traps in 2018.
literature
- Huey, LM (1925): Two new kangaroo rats of the genus Dipodomys from Lower California . Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington 38: 83-84.
Individual evidence
- ^ Murray Wrobel: Elsevier's Dictionary of Mammals. , Elsevier Scienc, 2006, ISBN 978-0-444-51877-4 , p. 148.
- ↑ a b c d e Gerardo Ceballos: Mammals of Mexico. Johns Hopkins Univ. Press, 2014, ISBN 978-1-4214-0843-9 , p. 199.
- ↑ a b c d Dipodomys gravipes in the Red List of Threatened Species of the IUCN 2018-2. Posted by: ST Álvarez-Castañeda, T. Lacher, 2016. Accessed January 29, 2019.
- ↑ Huey, p. 83
- ↑ Museum Researchers Rediscover Animal Not Seen in 30 Years San Quintin kangaroo rat found in Baja California will be subject of a conservation plan , San Diego National History Museum, April 16, 2018