Dipodomys elator

Texas Kangaroo Rat (Dipodomys elator)
Range
Taxonomic classification
Order:	Rodentia
Suborder:	Supramyomorpha
Infraorder:	Castorimorphi
Superfamily:	Geomyoidea
Family:	Heteromyidae
Subfamily:	Dipodomyinae
Genus:	Dipodomys
Binomial details
Dipodomys elator C. H. Merriam, 1894
Other resources
Full taxonomic details at MDD

The Texas Kangaroo Rat (Dipodomys elator) is found in association with a habitat characterized by scattered mesquites and short grasses (Carter et al., 1985).

Description

From Carter et al. (1986): "This is a relatively large kangaroo rat. There are four toes on each hindfoot.... Tail relatively thick and long, about 160% of head and body length; body large, about 120 mm in length (Davis 1942, 1974). Upperparts buffy, washed with blackish, underparts white; white thigh patches large; facial crescents broad and indistinctly continuous to blackish nose; dorsal and ventral tail stripes barely meet in front of the terminal white tuft; ventral dark stripe pale; dorsal dark stripe pale, but becoming blackish in the crested part."

From Schmidly & Bradley (2016): "A rather large, four-toed kangaroo rat with conspicuous white banner on tip of tail; tail long, relatively thick, and about 162% of length of head and body; body large (about 121 mm in length); upperparts buffy, washed with blackish; underparts white."

Texas Kangaroo Rat (Dipodomys elator) observed in Texas by Curtis Hart. As of July 5, 2024, this is the only record of D. elator on GBIF and iNaturalist that includes a photograph. Way to go, Curtis!

The tail of the Texas Kangaroo Rat (Dipodomys elator) observed in Texas by Curtis Hart. Within its range, it is the only species of kangaroo rat with a conspicuous white banner on the tip of the tail.

Museum specimens

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  Holotype: USNM 64802. Dipodomys elator. Adult male. Henrietta, Clay County, Texas. Collected 13 April 1894.

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  Holotype: USNM 64802. Dipodomys elator. Adult male. Henrietta, Clay County, Texas. Collected 13 April 1894.

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  Holotype: USNM 64802. Dipodomys elator. Adult male. Henrietta, Clay County, Texas. Collected 13 April 1894.

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
not reported	Carter et al. (1985)	260–345	161–205	42–49	10–16	65–90
Texas	Schmidly & Bradley (2016)	317	196	46

Skull

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  Holotype: USNM 64802. Dipodomys elator. Adult male. Henrietta, Clay County, Texas. Collected 13 April 1894. Dorsal view of the skull.

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  Holotype: USNM 64802. Dipodomys elator. Adult male. Henrietta, Clay County, Texas. Collected 13 April 1894. Ventral view of the skull.

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  Holotype: USNM 64802. Dipodomys elator. Adult male. Henrietta, Clay County, Texas. Collected 13 April 1894. Lateral view of the skull.

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  Holotype: USNM 64802. Dipodomys elator. Adult male. Henrietta, Clay County, Texas. Collected 13 April 1894. Dorsal view of the mandible.

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  Holotype: USNM 64802. Dipodomys elator. Adult male. Henrietta, Clay County, Texas. Collected 13 April 1894. Lateral view of the left mandible.

Similar species

Comparison with Dipodomys ordii

The only species of kangaroo rat that may co-occur with Dipodomys elator is the Ord's Kangaroo Rat (Dipodomys ordii). Dipodomys elator differs from the Ord's Kangaroo Rat (Dipodomys ordii) in having 4 toes on the hindfeet and a striking white-tipped tail with a solid black band proximal to the white tip.

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  Texas Kangaroo Rat (Dipodomys elator). The distal half of the tail is black and is conspicuously tipped terminally with white.

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  Ord's Kangaroo Rat (Dipodomys ordii). The distal half of the tail is disky and lacks a white tip.

Comparison with Dipodomys spectabilis

While their ranges do not overlap, Dipodomys elator superficially resembles the Banner-tailed Kangaroo Rat (Dipodomys spectabilis). Both species have four toes on the hind feet and the distal half of the tail is black and is conspicuously tipped terminally with white.

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  Texas Kangaroo Rat (Dipodomys elator). The distal half of the tail is black and is conspicuously tipped terminally with white.

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  Banner-tailed Kangaroo Rat (Dipodomys spectabilis). The distal half of the tail is black and is conspicuously tipped terminally with white.

References

Carter DC, Webster W, Jones JK, Jones C, Suttkus RD. 1985. Dipodomys elator. Mammalian Species (232):1-3. https://doi.org/10.2307/3503943

Davis WB. 1942. The systematic status of four kangaroo rats. Journal of Mammalogy 23: 328-333.

Davis WB. 1974. The mammals of Texas. Bulletin of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department 41:1.

Merriam CH. 1894-06-21. Preliminary descriptions of eleven new kangaroo rats of the genera Dipodomys and Perodipus. Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington 9:109-115.

Schmidly DJ, Bradley RD. 2016. The mammals of Texas. Austin (TX, USA): University of Texas Press.