Summary ³

The banner-tailed kangaroo rat (Dipodomys spectabilis) is a species of rodent in the family Heteromyidae. They are found in Mexico and Arizona, New Mexico and Texas in the United States.

Description ⁴

"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."

Links:
Mammal Species of the World
Click here for The American Society of Mammalogists species account

Sources and Credits

1. (c) ajedelman, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5142/5661006019_f730e7264c.jpg
2. (c) ajedelman, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5261/5661005821_d8d88fff81.jpg
3. (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dipodomys_spectabilis
4. (c) Smithsonian Institution, some rights reserved (CC BY), http://eol.org/data_objects/16146837

More Info

• iNat taxon page
• Animal Diversity Web
• ASM Mammal Diversity Database
• Biodiversity Heritage Library
• BOLD Systems BIN search
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)
• iNaturalist Mammal Working Group
• NatureServe Explorer 2.0
• VertNet

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