What is Kangaroo rat?
{{Taxobox | name = Kangaroo rat | fossil_range = Late [[Pliocene]] - Recent | image = kangaroo-rat.jpg | image_width = 250px | regnum = [[Animal]]ia | phylum = [[Chordate|Chordata]] | classis = [[Mammal]]ia | subclassis = [[Eutheria]] | ordo = [[Rodent]]ia | familia = [[Heteromyidae]] | genus = '''''Dipodomys''''' | genus_authority = [[John Edward Gray|Gray]], 1841 }} '''Kangaroo rats''' are small [[rodent]]s from [[North America|North]] and [[Central America]]. They got their name because they look like small [[kangaroo]]s when standing upright.<ref>{{Cite web|title=SDNHM - Dipodomys merriami (Merriam's Kangaroo Rat)|url=https://www.sdnhm.org/oceanoasis/fieldguide/dipo-mer.html|access-date=2024-08-07|website=www.sdnhm.org}}</ref> But they are not related to kangaroos, except that they are [[mammal]]s. The [[genus]] of the kangaroo rats is called '''''Dipodomys'''''. Currently, there are 22 [[species]] in that genus. They vary in size from 10cm to 20cm, and they weigh between 35 and 180 grams for adult animals. Kangaroo rats live in dry climates. They can live in deserts also, like the Thar Desert. This means that they have developed traits from other species that live in such climates, but are not related to them. Some of those species are the [[jerboa]]s, which can be found in the [[desert]]s of [[Africa]] and [[Asia]], and the [[hopping mouse|hopping mice]] of the [[Australia]]n [[Outback]]. All of those species have highly developed hind legs. They also live in deep [[burrow]]s that protect them from the worst heat of the day. Water may be difficult to find in such climates. Therefore, they only rarely need to drink water. Instead, they have a very efficient [[metabolism]]. Their [[kidney]]s are much more efficient than [[human]] kidneys.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2016-07-18|title=15.5B: Vertebrate Kidneys|url=https://bio.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Introductory_and_General_Biology/Biology_(Kimball)/15%3A_The_Anatomy_and_Physiology_of_Animals/15.05%3A_Excretion/15.5B%3A_Vertebrate_Kidneys|access-date=2024-08-07|