Overview
The Tipton kangaroo rat is one of three subspecies of the San Joaquin kangaroo rat that lives in arid areas in the San Joaquin Valley, California. Kangaroo rats were once abundant across the valley floor, but transition of land to agricultural and urban uses reduced that habitat. Tipton kangaroo rats are currently extremely rare and populations exist on small
patches of fragmented habitat. Habitat loss due to agricultural development throughout the range is the main threat to the survival of the Tipton kangaroo rat. Other threats include small population size, habitat fragmentation, climate change climate change
Climate change includes both global warming driven by human-induced emissions of greenhouse gases and the resulting large-scale shifts in weather patterns. Though there have been previous periods of climatic change, since the mid-20th century humans have had an unprecedented impact on Earth's climate system and caused change on a global scale.
Learn more about climate change and broad-scale application of rodenticides. The species was listed as endangered on July 8, 1988.
Scientific Name
Identification Numbers
Characteristics
Life Cycle
Little is known about the Tipton kangaroo rat reproduction in the wild. Mating appears to begin in the winter. Most females seem to have one litter per year, although some have two or more. Young are born in burrows.
Tipton kangaroo rats have a short life span. They might only live between 10 to 12 months of age and rarely survive longer than three years.
Similar Species
Physical Characteristics
Weight: 1.2 to 1.3 oz (35 to 38 gm)
The Tipton kangaroo rat has dark yellowish-buff fur covering its body with white stripes on its stomach and across its hips.
The Tipton kangaroo rat has a shortened neck and a large, flattened head, as well as dark whisker patches and small, rounded ears. It has a long, tufted tail that helps them balance as they hop. They have strong claws on their front feet for digging.
Measurements
Length: Head and body length is 3.9 to 4.3 in (100 to 110 mm)
Tail length: 4.8 to 5.1 in (125 to 130 mm)
Habitat
The Tipton kangaroo rat lives in underground burrow systems, with their burrows being located in slightly elevated mounds, the berms of roads, canal embankments, railroad beds and the bases of shrubs. They can also make burrows along fences where windblown soils accumulate, above the level of surrounding terrain. They locate their burrows in places that are unlikely to flood.
Land on which the natural dominant plant forms are grasses and forbs.
Arid land with usually sparse vegetation.
Environments influenced by humans in a less substantial way than cities. This can include agriculture, silvaculture, aquaculture, etc.
Food
Tipton kangaroo rats eat mostly seeds, and they supplement their diet with small amounts of green vegetation and insects when available. Unlike some kangaroo rat species, Tipton kangaroo rats do not hide seeds for later consumption. Instead, they forage for food frequently throughout a large home-range, sifting through the upper layers of sand and soil for fallen seeds.
Geography
Currently, the Tipton kangaroo rat is extremely rare and small populations are known to live in limited locations, including the Kern National Wildlife Refuge, Delano and other scattered areas within Kern, Kings and Tulare counties.
Timeline
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