Dipodomys ingens
| Giant Kangaroo Rat
(Dipodomys ingens) | |
|---|---|
| Range | |
 | |
| Taxonomic classification | |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Suborder: | Supramyomorpha |
| Infraorder: | Castorimorphi |
| Superfamily: | Geomyoidea |
| Family: | Heteromyidae |
| Subfamily: | Dipodomyinae |
| Genus: | Dipodomys |
| Binomial details | |
| Dipodomys ingens (C. H. Merriam, 1904) | |
| Other resources | |
| Full taxonomic details at MDD | |
Description
From Williams & Kilburn (1991): "The coloration of D. ingens is similar to that of other species of kangaroo rats . The dusky-colored nose and vibrissae patches are separated. The cheeks are whitish and the eyelids are completely blackish. The lateral white stripes along the tail are only slightly narrower than the dorsal and ventral dark stripes. The tail tuft is dark in appearance because of a mix of pale and dark hairs. The hairs of the ventral surfaces of the body are pure white to their bases. The buff-colored hairs of the sides and dorsum are mixed with fewer, scattered blackish and dusky hairs. The flanks have a darker appearance caused by more dusky hairs. Juveniles are paler and grayer than adults, the general body color of which is "warm buff" (Grinnell, 1922)."
From Jameson & Peeters (2004): "A very large, brownish kangaroo rat with a light brown tip to the tail. The tail is relatively short (usually less than 130 percent of the length of the head and body). The hind foot has five toes."
External measurements
Length measurements are in millimeters (mm) and weight measurements are in grams (g), unless stated otherwise. If available, the sample size (n=) is provided. If a range is not provided and n= is not given, then the listed measurement represents an average.
| Part of range | Reference | Total length | Tail length | Hindfoot length | Ear length | Mass |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | Grinnell (1932) | males: 332.9 (n=15); females: 334.4 (n=7) | males: 181.2 (n=15); females: 185.7 (n=7) | males: 50 (n=15); females: 50 (n=7) | males: 17.0 (n=13); females: 16.7 (n=5) | males: 140–174.2 (n=15, avg=157.0); females: 130.8–180.0 (n=7, avg=151.4) |
| California | Hall (1981) | 311–348 | 157–198 | 46–55 | males: 16.0–18.5; females: 15.0–18.0 | |
| California | Jameson & Peeters (2004) | 311–348 | 157–198 | 46–55 | 131–180 |
Skull
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Holotype: USNM128805. Dipodomys ingens. Adult male. Painted Rock, southeast of Simmler, Carrizo Plain, San Luis Obispo County, California. Collected 6 August 1903. Dorsal view of the skull. -
Holotype: USNM 128805. Dipodomys ingens. Adult male. Painted Rock, southeast of Simmler, Carrizo Plain, San Luis Obispo County, California. Collected 6 August 1903. Ventral view of the skull. -
Holotype: USNM 128805. Dipodomys ingens. Adult male. Painted Rock, southeast of Simmler, Carrizo Plain, San Luis Obispo County, California. Collected 6 August 1903. Lateral view of the skull. -
Holotype: USNM 128805. Dipodomys ingens. Adult male. Painted Rock, southeast of Simmler, Carrizo Plain, San Luis Obispo County, California. Collected 6 August 1903. Dorsal view of the mandible. -
Holotype: USNM 128805. Dipodomys ingens. Adult male. Painted Rock, southeast of Simmler, Carrizo Plain, San Luis Obispo County, California. Collected 6 August 1903. Lateral view of the left mandible.
Similar species
From Williams & Kilburn (1991): "Dipodomys ingens is the largest kangaroo rat, having the greatest length of head and body (means of 55 males and 47 females are 147.6 and 144.5 mm, respectively; Best, in press). It can be distinguished from the other large-sized kangaroo rats (D. deserti, D. nelsoni, and D. spectabilis) by presence of five, rather than four, toes on each hind foot. From the sympatric kangaroo rats, D. heermanni and D. nitratoides, D. ingens can be distinguished by a length of hind foot > 47 mm (means for males and females are 50 .2 and 49 .2, respectively). The hind feet of D. heermanni usually are < 45 mm (means of 474 males and 366 females are 43.3 and 42.6, respectively; Best, in press). The huge hind feet (rarely as short as 46 mm) distinguish even juveniles from other sympatric species. The hind foot of D. nitratoides has four toes and its length does not exceed 39 mm (Grinnell, 1922). The skull of D. ingens is large and broad, averaging 26.6-27.0 mm across the maxillary arches, a width much greater than that of other kangaroo rats except D. spectabilis, which averages from 25.8 to 26.9 mm (Best, in press; Grinnell, 1922; Nader, 1978). The average greatest length of the skull of D. ingens (44.2-45 .9 mm; Best, in press; Grinnell, 1932) is equaled only by D. deserti and D. spectabilis (Nader, 1978). Other diagnostic traits of giant kangaroo rats are their moderately-sized ears, wide maxillary arches (mean width at midlength, 6.2-6.4 mm), and short tails (length of tail is about 128 % of length of head and body; range, 112-135%; Grinnell, 1922)."
References
Grinnell J. 1922. A geographical study of the kangaroo rats of California. University of California Publications in Zoology 24: 1-124. File:Grinnell 1922 California kangaroo rats.pdf
Jameson EW, Peeters HJ. 2004. Mammals of California (No. 66). Berkeley (CA, USA): University of California Press.
Merriam CH. 1904. New and Little Known Kangaroo Rats of the Genus Perodipus. Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington 17, 141.
Nader IA. 1978. Kangaroo rats: intraspecific variation in Dipodomys spectabilis Merriam and Dipodomys deserti Stephens. Illinois Biological Monographs 49: 1-116.
Williams DF, Kilburn KS. 1991. Dipodomys ingens. Mammalian Species (377): 1-7. https://doi.org/10.2307/3504073