Dipodomys spectabilis Merriam, 1890

Banner-tailed kangaroo rat

Species recognized by The Integrated Taxonomic Information System external link, T Orrell (custodian) in 
IUCN Red List Status: Near Threatened (NT) external link Showing: scientific names

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General Description

Description

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Smithsonian's North American Mammals external link
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Smithsonian Institution - North American Mammals external link
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The Banner-tailed Kangaroo Rat confines its activities to small areas near the large earthen mounds that contain its complex burrow systems. Usually gentle and timid, this Kangaroo Rat will fight furiously to defend its territory from invasion by other Banner-tailed Kangaroo Rats. Foot-drumming on top of the mounds is used as a warning signal. Like other kangaroo rats, it sandbathes, both to clean its fur and to scent-mark its territory. The white tip on the end of its long tail waves as the animal moves around, giving this Kangaroo Rat both its common name, Banner-tailed, and its Latin scientific name, "spectabilis," which means visible, worth seeing, notable, admirable, or remarkable.

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Mammal Species of the World
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References
  • Merriam, C.H., 1890.  Descriptions of three new kangaroo rats, with remarks on the identity of Dipodomys ordii of Woodhouse, p. 46.  North American Fauna, 4:41-49.
"Dipodomys spectabilis Merriam, 1890". Encyclopedia of Life, available from "http://www.eol.org/pages/328117". Accessed 22 Mar 2010.