Stephens' kangaroo rat

Stephens' kangaroo rat
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Family: Heteromyidae
Genus: Dipodomys
Species: D. stephensi
Binomial name
Dipodomys stephensi
(Merriam, 1907)

Stephens' kangaroo rat (Dipodomys stephensi) is a species of rodent in the family Heteromyidae.[2] It is endemic to the Southern California region of the United States, primarily in western Riverside County.[3] The species is named after American zoologist Frank Stephens (1849-1937).[4]

The natural habitat of Stephens' kangaroo rat is sparsely vegetated temperate grassland.[5] This habitat has been destroyed or modified for agriculture throughout the species' range; as a result, Stephens' kangaroo rat is listed as an endangered species by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. It occurs sympatrically with the agile kangaroo rat, but tends to prefer few shrubs and gravelly soils to the agile's preference for denser shrubs.[6]

References

  1. Linzey, A.V.; NatureServe; Williams, D.F. & Hammerson, G. (2008). "Dipodomys stephensi". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2008. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 14 January 2009.
  2. Patton, J.L. (2005). "Family Heteromyidae". In Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M. Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 848. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.
  3. SIBR database; Stephens' Kangaroo Rat. Retrieved October 3, 2009.
  4. Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2009-09-28). The Eponym Dictionary of Mammals. The Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 394. ISBN 978-0801893049. OCLC 270129903.
  5. Bleich, Vernon C. 1977. "Dipodomys stephensi". Mammalian Species 73:1-3.
  6. Price, Mary V., William S. Longland, and Ross L. Goldingay. 1991. "Niche Relationships of Dipodomys agilis and D. stephensi: Two Sympatric Kangaroo Rats of Similar Size." American Midland Naturalist 126 (1) (July 1): 172-186. doi:10.2307/2426161.


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