Description

Agile Kangaroo Rats are excellent swimmers. They can run on all four feet as well as hop on their large hind feet, and if they are fleeing a predator, can make sharp turns. They are not strong diggers, so they commonly dig their burrows in loose, sandy soil. Their burrows can be extensive: one had six branches, each ending in a chamber. One chamber held a nest made of the hulls of grass seeds, and the other chambers served for food storage. The Kangaroo Rat had carried acorns, grass seeds, and flower parts to the burrow in its external, fur-lined cheek pouches, stored these items, and plugged the entrance to most of the chambers with soil.

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Mammal Species of the World