Dipodomys ornatus
Species of rodent
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dipodomys ornatus, commonly known as the ornate kangaroo rat or plateau kangaroo rat, is a species of kangaroo rat in the family Heteromyidae. Found in Mexico, Dipodmys ornatus was originally thought to be a subspecies of Phillips's kangaroo rat, D. phillipsi, and was described as such in 1894 by Clinton Hart Merriam.[4][3][2] It was recognized as a subspecies until 2012.[5]
| Dipodomys ornatus | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Infraclass: | Placentalia |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Family: | Heteromyidae |
| Genus: | Dipodomys |
| Species: | D. ornatus |
| Binomial name | |
| Dipodomys ornatus Merriam, 1894 | |
 | |
| Distribution of D. ornatus[2][3] | |
| Synonyms[3] | |
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Distribution and habitat
Throughout Mexico, D. ornatus is found in primarily central areas; Aguascalientes, Durango, Guanajuato, Jalisco, San Luis Potosí, and Zacatecas.[2][5] They are located in areas with cacti, namely the prickly pear species, along with catclaw.[3]
Description
Members of the species Dipodomys ornatus exhibit sexual dimorphism in that males and females vary in size, with the males being marginally longer; in both genders, the species' black and white and somewhat long tail can be compared to its body, which is mostly colored like cinnamon.[3] It is four-toed on its hindfeet, and, on average, it is medium-sized compared to other kangaroo rat species (being 252–302 mm long).[5]
