| California Kangaroo Rats require open areas away from the humidity of the coast in northern California and southern Oregon. They seem to need well-drained soil, and after a rain can be seen pushing mud out of their burrows. Cold, wet winter weather can be a cause of mortality. California Kangaroo Rats eat seeds, berries, green vegetation, and small tubers, and store food in very small and scattered caches. This Kangaroo Rat has a broad face and dark fur, and its tail has a distinct white tuft on the end.
Males are larger than females.
307.3 mm males; 304.8 mm females
Merriam, C.H., 1890. Descriptions of three new kangaroo rats, with remarks on the identity of Dipodomys ordii of Woodhouse, p. 49. North American Fauna, 4:41-49.
Mammal Species of the World
Mammalian Species, American Society of Mammalogists' species account