kangaroo rat

Any of various long-tailed rodents of the genus Dipodomys of arid areas of western North America, with long hind legs adapted for jumping.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

kangaroo rat

1. (Animals) any small leaping rodent of the genus Dipodomys, related to the squirrels and inhabiting desert regions of North America, having a stocky body and very long hind legs and tails: family Heteromyidae

2. (Animals) Also called: kangaroo mouse any of several leaping murine rodents of the Australian genus Notomys

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

kangaroo′ rat`

any of various small jumping rodents of the genus Dipodomys, of Mexico and W North America.

[1780–90]

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun	1.	kangaroo rat - any of various leaping rodents of desert regions of North America and Mexico; largest members of the family Heteromyidae desert rat, Dipodomys phillipsii pocket rat - any of various rodents with cheek pouches Dipodomys, genus Dipodomys - kangaroo rats Dipodomys ordi, Ord kangaroo rat - most widely distributed kangaroo rat: plains and mountain areas of central and western United States
	2.	kangaroo rat - any of several rabbit-sized ratlike Australian kangaroos rat kangaroo kangaroo - any of several herbivorous leaping marsupials of Australia and New Guinea having large powerful hind legs and a long thick tail Potoroinae, subfamily Potoroinae - rat kangaroos potoroo - Australian rat kangaroos bettong - short-nosed rat kangaroo jerboa kangaroo, kangaroo jerboa - brush-tailed rat kangaroo

Mentioned in

References in classic literature

The greyhounds pursued a kangaroo rat into a hollow tree, out of which we dragged it: it is an animal as large as a rabbit, but with the figure of a kangaroo.

View in context

The range of the San Quintin kangaroo rat (Dipodomys gravipes) is restricted, so far as known historically, to a stretch of coastal habitat less than 150 km in length and a few kilometers in width (Best and Lackey 1985) at the southern end of the California Floristic Province--a global biodiversity hotspot and one of the most critically endangered ecosystems on earth (Myers et al.

The San Quintin Kangaroo Rat is Not Extinct

A wide-eyed kangaroo rat sits hunched in darkness among sparse tufts of desert plant life.

'Ninja' kangaroo rats kick snakes in the head faster than you can blink. The videos are 'epic.'

"Those that are successful at evading the strike will suggest ways in which the kangaroo rat might be evolving in response to the intricacies of the predatory movements."

'Ninja rat' escapes the jaws of a rattlesnake by DROP-KICKING it; A team of researchers have shown how the tiny desert rodents frequently foil snakes through their rapid reaction times

The San Quintin kangaroo rat was last spotted in 1986.

Scientists have Found Animals Thought to have Disappeared 30 Years Ago

The giant kangaroo rat (Dipodomys ingens) is listed both federally and in the state of California as an endangered species and has been since the 1980s, making its conservation of the utmost importance.

Genetic variation among populations of the endangered giant kangaroo rat, Dipodomys ingens, in the Southern San Joaquin Valley

Merriam's kangaroo rat (Dipodomys merriami) was the most abundant kangaroo rat (81.5% of kangaroo rat captures; 11.3% of all captures), occurring at six of the eight mainland sites.

Small mammals of Pyramid Lake and Anaho Island (Nevada)

The Stephens' kangaroo rat (Dipodomys stephensi) is a nocturnal rodent that is unique to southwestern California.

Creating a safe haven for Stephens' kangaroo rat at Camp Pendleton

You are looking at a kangaroo rat. Kangaroo rats are rodents that live in the deserts and other dry habitats of western North America.

Rodents that bounce!

There have been comparative physiological and anatomical studies of water channels in desert rodents including the kangaroo rat, gerbil, degu, Spinifex hopping mouse, spiny mouse, leaf-eared mouse, and chinchilla.

Aquaporins in desert rodent physiology

It's a fact that going to the desert, you will be hard pressed to find the local lizard (dhab), desert hare or gerboa (kangaroo rat) due to the overwhelming amount of strays roaming in every nook and cranny of Bahrain.

Why are there still no effective animal laws?

A field trip with Bob would not only focus on the reptiles and amphibians of the terrain, but also on any slug, bird, kangaroo rat, bobcat, or whatever he found, just as any good naturalist would do to weave a story of the complex interrelationships of nature.

A giant falls: but his work and influence live on!